SCOTTSDALE — Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen continued the stretch of solid spring training outings from Arizona’s starting pitchers on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies.
Gallen threw two scoreless innings, but more importantly, he felt better about the process than his previous outings in Cactus League or the backfields.
“Delivery felt solid, felt I had some good leverage, was able to locate pretty good,” Gallen said.
On his leverage, Gallen explained, “(Pitching coach Brian Kaplan) characterizes tension on the ball. So for me, it’s leverage of pulling down on the pitches, fastball, curveball, not really flying out early and having that tension right at the end when I’m releasing it, that’s when I feel like everything’s synced up.”
It was another solid outing for Zac Gallen and the Diamondbacks pitchers in a win over the Rockies at Salt River Fields. pic.twitter.com/TtKpObixRe
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) March 1, 2025
RELATED STORIES
D-backs' Merrill Kelly, Ryne Nelson encouraged by strong spring debuts
Diamondbacks INF Blaze Alexander sidelined with oblique strain
Diamondbacks INF Blaze Alexander sidelined with oblique strain
Gallen is coming off a solid 2024 season (3.65 ERA in 148 innings) but not quite as stellar as his previous two. Finding consistency with his feel and delivery were battles for him last year.
Getting to pitch two innings on Saturday allowed him to open up his arsenal a bit more, and he explained what he’s looking for as the regular season approaches.
“I think the biggest thing is just repeatability and delivery,” Gallen said. “For me, that’s kind of the thing I’m always working on. That’s the big thing. And then where the fatigue levels are at. By the time you’re getting into those later outings, it’s like, okay, how do I feel after the fourth? How do I feel to the fifth, sixth? That’s a hard exercise to replicate, other than just doing it.”
Gallen is in the running to start on Opening Day along with Corbin Burnes, who are expected to make up one of baseball’s top 1-2 punches to lead a rotation.
Eugenio Suarez looking to maintain form
Third baseman Eugenio Suarez made the Rockies pay for botching a would-be inning-ending double play. Off top prospect Chase Dollander, Suarez crushed a fastball 444 feet, a moonshot all 13,552 fans at sold-out Salt River Fields must’ve known was gone immediately.
“We’ve talked about being ready to strike when a pitcher is a little more on the vulnerable side, and Geno clobbered that ball,” manager Torey Lovullo said.
“That was a pretty good swing, 97 (mph) in, putting my best swing on that one,” Suarez said. “Getting better, feeling better, trying to not create bad habits like chase.”
Suarez put together a remarkable second half of the season in 2024 after nearly getting let go due to his ineffectiveness in the first half. From July-on, he worked a .974 OPS with 24 home runs, and the D-backs went 48-30 in games he played.
¡Eugenio Suárez con P O D E R! pic.twitter.com/374mLOj0QM
— LasMayores (@LasMayores) March 1, 2025
More intense pregame regiments and work off the Trajekt pitching simulator helped, and this offseason he played games back in the Venezuelan Winter League to maintain that form. It felt like Suarez home run highlights were posted everyday of his stay, as he blasted eight in 17 games.
“Those games helped me a lot,” Suarez said. “I did not try do crazy things, made it simple, tried to enjoy my offseason and be ready for this year. Not change anything, have the same mentality that I had at the end of the season last year.”
A.J. Vukovich runs with the opportunity
Outfielder Randal Grichuk was a late scratch from the lineup due to glute soreness on Saturday, Lovullo said. His concern level for this injury is minimal.
Outfield prospect A.J. Vukovich filled in and hit his first home run of the spring, an opposite-field shot on the first pitch he saw up in the zone.
“That’s where I hit the ball pretty well most of the time,” Vukovich said. “So I like to work from the top down. I knew first pitch of the inning, he’d probably give me something similar, so I was just ready for it.”
Vukovich, 23, had been considered a top 10 prospect in the system by MLB Pipeline in the past, although he admitted last season did not go exactly how he wanted.
The right-handed power hitter finished with a .794 OPS and 17 home runs between Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno, but he struck out 30% of the time. He’s entered camp feeling like he has something to prove.
“I just wanted to make adjustments and show that I can be competitive and be aggressive up there at the plate and do the right amount of damage,” Vukovich said of his spring training so far. “And I feel like it’s going well. Anytime you can get out here and compete against these caliber players, it’s a good thing.”
Kyle Nelson making strides
Left-handed reliever Kyle Nelson threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in his second appearance since he underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome last season. Nelson was much happier with the performance than his spring debut on Tuesday, feeling particularly strong about his slider adjustments. Reps continue to be of most importance as he builds back up.
“Just continuing to build back strength will build that confidence,” Nelson said. “I think in the first one, especially like, it’s the first time you play catch earlier in the day, and then you sit for a while like a true reliever and then you get up and just hop on the mound. So I think there was a little bit of like, ‘Am I going to get myself back up.’ Just making it through the outing comfortable, waking up the next day like, ‘I’m okay,’ was one of the biggest confidence boosts for me.”
Nelson made 68 appearances with a 4.18 ERA for the D-backs in 2023, and 2024 his season was over after only 11 outings.
Diamondbacks notes
– Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will make his spring debut Sunday at the Texas Rangers. Behind him, Arizona will run out Blake Walston, Ryan Thompson, Bryce Jarvis, Drey Jameson, Jeff Brigham and John Curtiss.
– Jordan Montgomery will throw to live hitters on Tuesday at Salt River Fields.
– Infielder Garrett Hampson took full advantage of the automated ball-strike challenge system on Saturday, as he was rung up for strike three with two outs, won the challenge and delivered an RBI flare into center field.
– Catching prospect Christian Cerda somehow did this:
How did Christian Cerda do this? pic.twitter.com/brKDl2vKI3
— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) March 1, 2025
Catchers, man.
– Also Kevin Costner was at the ballpark on Saturday, too.
pic.twitter.com/Z5cimjbUar
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 1, 2025
Follow @alexjweiner
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Zac Gallen details spring training goals, Eugenio Suarez building off strong finish )
Also on site :
- Punchestown betting offer: Bet £5 get £30 in free bets on Paddy Power
- GEPL Season 2 Tickets and Live Streaming Details Are Out
- Arsenal Hosts Paris Saint-Germain in Champions League Semi-Final First Leg