The Arizona Diamondbacks could have used a get-right outing from starting pitcher Zac Gallen with a banged-up lineup on the final day of a nine-game road trip.
Instead, the struggling Chicago White Sox on Wednesday tagged Gallen with five runs, as the Diamondbacks fell 7-3. Arizona for the second straight series won the first two games against a last-place team but fell short of a sweep.
The D-backs (41-39), battered from a trip filled with injuries and emotional moments, comes home for a 10-game stretch that starts Friday against Miami. Arizona went 5-4 on the road trip, an underwhelming record given the competition level as a dominant run continues to be elusive.
White Sox display encouraging message for Ketel Marte
Bigger than the game on the field, the White Sox displayed a message of solidarity for Ketel Marte after a fan was banned from all major league ballparks for making inappropriate comments toward Marte regarding his late mother.
We stand with you, Ketel Marte ?? pic.twitter.com/0fFUbegw4A
— MLB (@MLB) June 25, 2025
Hundreds of fans from around the country donated to the Diamondbacks Foundation in honor of Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a car accident in 2017. Over $11,000 was donated.
Zac Gallen continues to search for answers
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Gallen continues to search for answers, and Wednesday’s performance went poorly early on. He took the mound with a 2-0 lead in the first inning and recorded two quick outs before the White Sox rallied.
Andrew Benintendi hit a solo shot on an 0-2 fastball above the zone but over the middle. Gallen then walked Miguel Vargas, who stole second and scored the game-tying run on a Kyle Teel single (another 0-2 pitch).
The long ball bit Gallen again in the fourth inning, as Lenyn Sosa hit just his fifth of the year on a 1-2 curveball that hung in the zone for a two-run shot.
Gallen has allowed 19 home runs this season, tied for third most in MLB. His home run rates over the previous three seasons have not been close to this high. He’s given up multiple home runs in five starts already this season. He did so three times all of last year.
The right-hander is not getting away with mistakes over the middle, which have piled up. He finished the game with 5.1 innings, five earned runs, eight hits, one walk and two strikeouts with only six whiffs.
When chatting with Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Tuesday, Gallen said his upcoming free agency nor trade rumors have impacted his performance. He had a familiar answer for what still has not clicked.
“I think if you go back to some of the interviews I did even in the back end of 2023 and especially last year, like for me, the delivery is a big thing,” Gallen said. “When it doesn’t feel right, things can get a little haywire for me. It’s been a good 18 months of trying to figure out what it was like in 2022. … Where am I at when the delivery’s really good and what makes me repeatable and able to mix pitches and throw everything in the strike zone. That’s kind of been a constant battle.”
Gallen said he is always going to err on the side of trying to understand what works and make adjustments. He has been this way since college, and trying to feel right has been seemingly consume his last two years.
His season ERA increased to 5.75, which is the second highest among qualified starting pitchers. With ace Corbin Burnes done for the year, it is difficult to imagine the D-backs get to where they want to go with Gallen struggling to this extent.
Is Zac Gallen's upcoming free agency impacting his performance?
Gallen pointed elsewhere when explaining what hasn't clicked.
The Clubhouse Call-In with @Burnsandgambo is brought to you by Dog Haus. pic.twitter.com/R17EL1nsNz
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) June 24, 2025
Josh Naylor returns with a bang
Naylor returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s 4-1 win with right shoulder discomfort, and he crushed the first pitch he saw.
Naylor shot a hanging curveball from Sean Burke deep to right field for a two-run home run in the first inning.
The blast extended Naylor’s hitting streak to 13 games, one shy from tying his career-long hitting streak.
Josh Naylor gets the @Dbacks started with a 2-run jack! ? pic.twitter.com/l0QF8YB3xP
— MLB (@MLB) June 25, 2025
He became the 12th player in franchise history with 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in the first half of a season. Paul Goldschmidt is the only other first baseman to do so.
The Diamondbacks did not score again until the eighth inning. Eugenio Suarez remained out after taking a fastball off the hand on Monday, and Marte had a rare off performance at 0-for-4 after he recorded multiple hits in five straight starts.
Diamondbacks’ next game
The Diamondbacks get Thursday off before they host the Marlins on Friday at 6:40 p.m.
Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez will pitch the Miami series for Arizona.
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