Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen returned to big-league action on Saturday for the first time since May 30, shutting down the Oakland Athletics as part of a quality start (GameTracker). Gallen had previously missed about a month because of a strained right hamstring he suffered in a start against the Kansas City Royals.
The Diamondbacks cleared a spot on the active roster for Gallen on Friday by optioning left-handed pitcher Brandon Hughes to Triple-A Reno.
Gallen tossed 77 pitches across six shutout innings, striking out seven batters and allowing one base hit and one walk. His fastball averaged 95.2 mph on the afternoon, or more than two ticks above his seasonal average entering the day. He generated 13 whiffs on 37 swings, with four of those coming on his spike curveball and another four on his seldom-used changeup.
The Diamondbacks inserted reliever Kevin Ginkel to begin the seventh inning.
Gallen, 28, had hit the shelf after making 11 starts to begin the season. He compiled a 3.12 ERA (130 ERA+) and a 4.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio over the course of 57 2/3 innings pitched. His contributions had been worth an estimated 1.1 Wins Above Replacement, according to the calculations housed at Baseball Reference.
His return is a welcomed development for the reigning National League champions. The Diamondbacks came into play on Saturday ranked 27th in the majors in rotation ERA. For the time being, they remain without injured starters Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez, who has not appeared yet this season after signing a four-year pact worth $80 million over the winter.
The Diamondbacks entered Saturday with a 39-43 record on the season, putting them more than 11 games behind in the National League West race. The Diamondbacks were also 3 1/2 games back for the third and final NL wild-card spot.