SAN DIEGO — The Diamondbacks won a game in unlikely fashion on Thursday night, coming away with a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres despite only three hits from the offense, a slew of hard-hit balls by the opposing team and the apparent unavailability of several top bullpen arms.
Tommy Pham connected for a two-run homer and Gabriel Moreno hit a solo shot, accounting for all of the Diamondbacks’ offense on the night.
Right-hander Zac Gallen gave up more hard contact than he has in any previous career start but still managed to allow just one run in 6 1/3 innings.
And then, with top relievers Kevin Ginkel and Paul Sewald likely unavailable due to recent heavy workloads, rookie right-hander Justin Martinez recorded the final four outs of the game to secure the win. Martinez took over in the eighth after left-hander Kyle Nelson recorded four outs.
The Padres made things interesting in the ninth — or Martinez made it interesting for them. He walked two batters, putting the tying run on base, but ended the game by freezing Jake Cronenworth on a splitter for Strike 3.
Zac Gallen dodges hard contact, hands lead to bullpen
SAN DIEGO — Right-hander Zac Gallen gave up more dangerous contact than in any other start of his career yet still managed to give up just one run in 6 1/3 innings and hand a lead off to his bullpen on Thursday night at Petco Park.
The Diamondbacks lead, 3-1, in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Gallen gave up 12 balls that were hit at 95 mph or harder and were either hit in the air or on a line. That is one more than his previous career high of 10, set earlier this year in a rough start in Detroit. Only three of those 12 balls went for hits.
Gallen came back out to face one more batter in the seventh, the right-hander Xander Bogaerts, and promptly gave up a hard line drive (98.3 mph) that was caught by shortstop Nick Ahmed.
Tommy Pham’s homer puts DBacks in front vs. Padres
SAN DIEGO — The Diamondbacks made their first hit of the game on Thursday night count.
Tommy Pham clubbed a fastball from Rich Hill out to center field in the top of the fourth for a two-run homer. The Diamondbacks led, 2-0, after 3 1/2 innings.
After Corbin Carroll drew a one-out walk, Pham got a first-pitch fastball and did not miss it. His drive went an estimated 430 feet.
Right-hander Zac Gallen has given up just one hit, as well, while turning in three shutout innings. The Padres have hit a handful of balls hard that went for outs. The lone hit was a double to left by Garrett Cooper in the third.
Zach Davies’ return to DBacks could depend on weather
SAN DIEGO — Manager Torey Lovullo said right-hander Zach Davies is ready to return from the injured list, but whether he starts on Sunday could depend on what the weather looks like heading into the day.
With Hurricane Hilary gaining strength off the coast of Mexico, it is expected to bring heavy rain to Southern California on Sunday.
“We could target Sunday here (for Davies), but we don’t know what that means,” Lovullo said. “He’s ready to come here (i.e., off the injured list). But Sunday with the weather and the 50/50 chance of getting rained out, we’re not sure. I want him to throw the ball on Sunday. There’s a chance it could be here and there’s a chance it might not be here.”
Lovullo seemed to be suggesting that if the game were to be rained out, Davies could make another rehab start.
Davies, who is on the injured list with lower back inflammation, was not sharp in his most recent rehab start with Triple-A Reno, giving up seven runs in three innings.
“First inning wasn’t so good,” Lovullo said. “Second and third inning got better. He started pitching to a little bit of a game plan. I think he was moving the ball around the zone, which is what he needs to do. The first inning he was just trying to get his coordinates.”
Thursday’s Diamondbacks-Padres pitching matchup
Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (12-5, 3.24) vs. Padres LHP Rich Hill (7-12, 5.17).
Gallen and Hill faced off last week at Chase Field, with Gallen getting the better of the 43-year-old to snap the Diamondbacks’ nine-game losing streak. … August has been Gallen’s best month since April, when he went four starts without allowing a run. He has a 2.37 ERA in three starts in the month, striking out 22 batters and walking just four in 19 innings. … From May to July, Gallen had a 3.82 ERA and was striking out just 8.4 batters per nine innings. … Hill has struggled in two starts since being traded to the Padres. He failed to get out of the fourth inning in both and has allowed nine earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. … The Diamondbacks also hit Hill hard when he was with the Pirates in July, managing five runs in four innings.
Coming up
Friday: At San Diego, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (0-6, 6.91) vs. Padres RHP Seth Lugo (4-6, 4.16).
Saturday: At San Diego, 5:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (9-5, 3.05) vs. Padres RHP Yu Darvish (8-8, 4.24).
Sunday: At San Diego, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks TBA vs. Padres RHP Michael Wacha (9-2, 2.68).
Wednesday game recap: Christian Walker’s heroics lead Diamondbacks to series win over Rockies
About the Padres
At 57-63 entering play Wednesday, the Padres continue to be one of the most disappointing teams in baseball. Unlike other underperformers such as the Mets, San Diego opted to hold onto its superstars at the trade deadline, keeping hope alive for a late-season turnaround. Thus far, it has not transpired, with a 5-8 record since the deadline. Their underwhelming season has come despite a team ERA that ranks fifth in baseball. Each of the Padres’ biggest stars has failed to live up to expectations. Juan Soto is the best of the group, with a .908 OPS but the fact that he is not in MVP consideration for the second straight year is a disappointment given up the massive prospect haul San Diego dealt to the Nationals in exchange for two and a half seasons of his services. Xander Bogaerts was signed to an 11-year, $280 million deal in the off-season but is having his worst year offensively since 2017. Manny Machado has his lowest OPS since 2014. And since returning from a PED suspension, Fernando Tatis Jr. is having the worst offensive season of his career. In fact, the Padres’ second-best hitter behind Soto has been the relatively unheralded Ha-Seong Kim.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gallen effective, Diamondbacks breath easy as rookie nets save in win over Padres