Athletics 7, Diamondbacks 5
Zac Gallen, less than a month after first missing time with a broken arm, pitched four innings of three-hit, one-run baseball. He added a bunt single and left with a 5-1 lead. However, his four relievers each gave up a run or more, allowing the Oakland Athletics to rally and defeat the host Diamondbacks, 7-5.
The Diamondbacks blew a 5-0 lead, wasting a three-run home run by catcher Carson Kelly in addition to Gallen’s heroic effort. That second-inning homer brought in third baseman Asdrubal Cabrera — who hit a lead-off single — and left fielder David Peralta, who drew a one-out walk. They added two more in the third but missed a golden opportunity to blow the game open when they left the bases loaded.
Taylor Clarke relieved Gallen to start the fifth and pitched two perfect innings. He struck out shortstop Elvis Andrus to lead off the sixth, but that was the last hitter he retired. The next three all singled, with the third driving in a run. That brought in Kevin Ginkel, who struck out center fielder Ramon Laureano before serving up a game-tying three-run home run to second baseman Jed Lowrie. Anthony Swarzak surrendered a solo home run to backup first baseman Seth Brown to lead off the eighth, giving the Athletics their first lead of the game. A single off Yoan Lopez by Laureano in the ninth led to the seventh and final run. He scored when third baseman Matt Chapman tripled off the high wall in center field.
Postgame Reflections
Gallen’s outing did not surprise manager Torey Lovullo. “Zac Gallen has some unbelievable gifts…. Nothing he does surprises me. The sky’s the limit for him. He should be proud of what he did. Last month, he broke his arm. Now he’s competing on a very high level and looking very good.” Kelly added that it was “awesome to have him back out there. It was just like old times, spring training.”
The Diamondbacks relievers surrendered six runs in five innings. This is of tremendous concern to the team, since two of the best and most experienced relievers — Joakim Soria and Tyler Clippard — are on the injured list. The reliever with the third-most experience — Chris Devenski — is still on the restricted list. This has put some young, inexperienced relievers in situations they have not grown used to yet. Someone is going to have to step forward — and soon.
Looking Ahead
The result makes the Athletics 5-7 and drops the Diamondbacks to 5-8. This is especially frustrating for the Diamondbacks, who let a game slip through their fingers just before embarking on a grueling 10-game road swing through the Eastern Time Zone. “Every loss is tough. It stings. There’s nothing we can do about it (now), so we’ve got to be resilient,” Lovullo said.
Yusmero Petit (3-0) earned the win in relief, while Anthony Swarzak (0-1) took the loss. Lou Trivino earned his first save of the year. The Diamondbacks have Wednesday off for travel. They open a four-game road series against the Washington Nationals Thursday afternoon at 4:05 Arizona Time. Merrill Kelly (0-2, 8.10 ERA) is the probable starter for the Diamondbacks.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players mentioned:
Zac Gallen, Carson Kelly, Asdrubal Cabrera, David Peralta, Taylor Clarke, Elvis Andrus, Kevin Ginkel, Ramon Laureano, Jed Lowrie, Anthony Swarzak, Seth Brown, Yoan Lopez, Matt Chapman, Torey Lovullo, Joakim Soria, Tyler Clippard, Chris Devenski, Lou Trivino, Merrill Kelly
