The Diamondbacks got Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka back on the mound Wednesday, but the night still ended the same way too many recent ones have: with Arizona taking a step backward in the standings and leaving Kansas City with a 5-2 loss.
Gallen’s return from injury lasted 3 1/3 innings, and the fourth never really got off the ground. A 10-pitch battle with Nick Loftin with one out pushed him to 68 pitches and sent him to the dugout before he could finish the frame.
He allowed four hits and two runs, though only one was earned. One of the damage swings came on a solo homer by Carter Jensen.
Soroka followed in the fifth for his first relief appearance of the season, and it started cleanly enough when he struck out Kyle Isbel. The inning unraveled quickly after that. Isaac Collins singled, Jensen drew a walk, and Bobby Witt Jr. broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run homer that turned out to be the difference.
The outing also reinforced some of the concerns around Gallen’s stuff. His four-seam fastball, which has been an issue for multiple seasons, again wasn’t doing him many favors.
He backed away from it after the third one he threw was crushed at 106.5 MPH, even though it stayed in play for an out. In all, he used the pitch only nine times out of 68, matching his sinker for the fewest of any offering.
The velocity was down too, with the fastball averaging 91.2 MPH, which is 2.2 MPH below his season average of 93.4.
Arizona also had another health issue hanging over the day. Corbin Carroll was scratched from the lineup in Kansas City, and manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday that Carroll would likely need imaging.
Carroll was set to get an MRI on Thursday and would not play in the series finale. He said he felt a back spasm last week during the home series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Carroll had made 44 start starts before sitting on Monday, when he came off the bench late in the D-backs’ 5-4 win.
Carroll’s season has been a mix of highs and lows, both at the plate and in terms of health. He was excellent through mid-June, went through a rough July, began to pick it back up in August, and then hit another slump late in the month.
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