![\"Arizona](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/01kmpt1yghmnxnbw1tan.jpg\" "\\"Arizona")
<\/p>\nZac Gallen looked like a revitalized pitcher for the first four innings of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ opening day matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers \u2014 until an unfortunate and familiar trend reared its head again.<\/p>\n
Gallen was working efficiently in his first four frames, displaying an increase in velocity and picking up swing-and-miss, but after a pair of unfortunate batted ball events, the fifth inning quickly turned disastrous. <\/p>\n
That type of inning was a theme that did, at times, plague the right-hander through his ugly 2025 season: some poor batted ball luck spiraling into an eventual big knock \u2014 one that would turn a positive outing into a less-favorable one with one swing.<\/p>\n
Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen surrenders big inning to Dodgers<\/p>\n
Gallen gave up a sharply-hit ground ball that skipped off a sliding Ketel Marte’s glove to open the fifth inning. He then induced a weaker ground ball that dribbled to his right, but Gallen’s quick reaction and accurate throw was just too late to catch the runner at first. <\/p>\n
And then, with two on and no outs, Gallen served up a three-run homer to outfielder Andy Pages, flipping a 2-0 lead into a 3-2 deficit. <\/p>\n
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Mar 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) hands the ball to manager Torey Lovullo (17) during a pitching change as infielder Carlos Santana (41) and catcher Gabriel Moreno (14) look on against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Gallen was pulled from that inning without recording an out and two runners on. His final line would include four-plus innings, with five hits allowed, four earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts. <\/p>\n
There were still some positives to Gallen’s outing. He picked up five whiffs on seven swings against his slider, and two on his cutter. His fastball averaged a sturdy 94.1 MPH, and he was generating some weak contact. The issue Gallen was, as it was often in 2025, one particularly damaging misplaced breaking ball. <\/p>\n
It’s still early in the season, and the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup is one that can hurt even the toughest arms in the game. It’s not fair to put assumptions on the rest of Gallen’s season based on opening day.<\/p>\n
But if the right-hander wants to return to ace form, he’ll need to find a way to recover from poor luck. Those types of results come with the territory, and minimizing damage as a result is a major key to staying in command of a game. <\/p>\n
Gallen was not overly concerned with his outing, however. <\/p>\n