Forget those questions about Zac Gallen’s velocity. Arizona’s ace can still bring it.
And he’s still the Diamondbacks’ best answer to a losing streak.
Cranking out mid-90s fastballs early, Gallen (8-2) struck out seven in six effective innings and the Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-1 on Friday night.
“Raise the alarms,” Gallen joked. “I think we can put that to rest. I felt like the ball was coming out of my hand a little bit better, certainly feel a little bit of a semblance of how I wanted to feel.”
The Diamondbacks bounced back from losing three of four to Philadelphia with a solid all-around game to kick off Cleveland’s first series at Chase Field since 2017.
Gallen was sharp coming off a rare shaky start, giving up a solo homer to José Ramírez in the fourth inning and four singles.
PHOTOS: Gallen strikes out 7 as Diamondbacks beat Guardians 5-1 to end 3-game slide
Arizona took advantage of five walks by last-minute Cleveland starter Touki Toussaint (0-1) to take an early 2-0 lead. The Diamondbacks kept tacking on runs, finishing with five players who had an RBI and 11 hits.
Not bad for having to scramble after the Guardians replaced starters two hours before the game.
“It’s like a fumble. There’s there’s 10 people jumping on the ball and coaches jumping on the ball to try and figure out what direction we’re going to go in, and start to spread the word get the message out,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It happens. They just had to make a quick adjustment and we did a good job.”
Gallen never felt right in his previous start, his velocity slightly down while allowing five runs in 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision at Detroit.
The right-hander returned to Chase Field, where he was 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA his last four starts.
Rocking a snakeskin belt against the Guardians, Gallen attacked the Guardians with fastballs early, setting up breaking balls that had them swinging at pitches in the dirt.
Gallen faced the minimum until Ramírez launched a solo homer to right in the fourth inning and and allowed two runners to reach second base. He walked none.
“I read an article that they were worried about his velocity,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “I don’t know what happened there because he was just fine. He knows how to pitch.”
Toussaint got caught an early-morning flight from Omaha to start after right-hander Triston McKenzie was scratched due to right elbow discomfort.
The former Diamondbacks first-round draft pick - he never pitched for Arizona - struggled with control in his return to the majors.
Christian Walker one-hopped a run-scoring double off the wall in the first inning after a walk. Geraldo Perdomo made it 2-0 on a sacrifice fly after a walk and a bunt put runners on second and third.
Toussaint was lifted after three straight two-out walks in the fourth inning, saved from any more damage when Xzavion Curry induced an inning-ending groundout.
Touissant allowed two runs on three hits.
“I’m a competitor so it feels good,” Toussian said. “I didn’t go as long as I wanted to, but definitely a step in the right direction.”
Pavin Smith had a run-scoring single and Corbin Carroll an RBI double off Curry in the sixth inning. Ketel Marte put Arizona up 5-1 with a run-scoring single in the seventh.
NAYLOR’S ARRIVAL
The Guardians designated catcher Mike Zunino for assignment before Friday’s game, ending a brief stint that did little to shore up their shaky catching corps.
Zunino’s departure likely clears the way for Bo Naylor to get a shot at sticking with the big league team.
The younger brother of Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor, Bo Naylor was Cleveland’s first round pick in the 2018 and appeared in six games the past two seasons. He hit .253 with 18 homers and 48 RBIs in 60 games at Triple-Columbus this season.
Naylor was out of Columbus’ lineup Friday night and the Guardians were down a position player against the Diamondbacks.
TRAINER’S TABLE
Diamondbacks: C Carson Kelly had the night off after playing three straight games following a long stint on the injured list with a broken forearm.
UP NEXT
Cleveland RHP Shane Bieber (5-3, 3.29 ERA) faces Arizona RHP Tommy Henry (3-1, 4.86) in the middle game of the series on Saturday.
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