Spare a Gallen

 

2024 for the Diamondbacks feels like the arrival of the inevitable. The D-Backs got a good 4 or so years without losing Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly to an injury, and both starters were injured for various points in this season. For two of the most durable starters in the game, the fact that it took this long for a setback to occur is honestly incredible. But yeah, Kelly got hurt, then Gallen got hurt, and the team suffered. 

But...conversely, since Gallen's been back, the D-Backs have moved up to 2nd place. And it says a lot about someone like Gallen, because I did worry that he was going to be so good in this stretch that he'd need to be out for a year and never be back to peak form. But honestly, even with the missed games, Gallen is still pretty much in his prime. In 14 starts he's 6-5 with a 3.33 ERA and 75 Ks, that's not bad at all. Compared to some of the people who've been there the whole time and honestly shouldn't have been left to lead the rotation, like Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson, that's the kind of consistency this team needs.

Look, the fundamental issue with these Diamondbacks teams is going to continue to be rotation depth. Last year, once you got past Kelly, Gallen and Pfaadt they were kinda screwed. And that's why they got all those pitching contracts, Montgomery and Rodriguez, to balance that out. Unfortunately, Rodriguez hasn't been healthy at all this year, and Montgomery got hurt after 13 games in, after posting a 6+ ERA. So the depth is down, and the top two guys were hurt, so the problems of last season were multiplied. Not only were the 4 and 5 guys now running the rotation, but now they needed people like Tommy Henry and Slade Cecconi to eat innings, regardless of whether or not the quality was high. It wasn't. They suffered. 

At the current moment, they've got a formula that sort of works, with Gallen, Pfaadt, Nelson, Cecconi and Yilber Diaz. Lord knows how long this model will be sustainable for, but at the very least having Gallen back certainly helps.

What's put this team into 2nd place has been great performances by people like Lourdes Gurriel, Eugenio Suarez, Jake McCarthy and Randal Grichuk. Plus, Christian Walker's around to jump into action whenever the Dodgers are in town. Having everybody in the lineup healthy again, including Moreno and Perdomo, makes this team formidable again, and having another strong year from Marte gives them a focal point worth building off of. I'm not sure how long they'll be able to stave off the Padres, but they're definitely more interesting than they have been in a few months.

Coming Tonight: A number of young Rays pitchers that haven't worked in the majors before suddenly are, including this second year hurler.