A team record 14-run 3rd inning and Zac Gallen on the mound had the D-backs cruising to victory on Opening Day.
Baseball is good. After what seemed like a blink of an eye, the D-backs return to regular season play after an eventful offseason hoping to return to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since the excellent 2001 and 2002 seasons. With the NL West loading up on talent in response, it’ll be an exciting one to remember for sure.
Coming off a 243IP season for the D-backs, the highest in the MLB since 2019, Zac Gallen got the ball on Opening Day for the second straight year and started things off in the 1st as expected, inducing weak contact from Blackmon, Bryant, and Jones to get the offense on the field.
The long winter break didn’t affect the offense in the slightest. Ketel Marte, hitting in the leadoff spot against the lefty Kyle Freeland, laced a single up the middle to start the 2024 season. Carroll moved the runner-up with a weak tapper, and Lourdes Gurriel, fresh off the 3-year $42 million contract, cashed him in. D-backs 2-0.
The Rockies responded with a run of their own in the top of the 2nd, with Brendan Rodgers and Ryan McMahon doubles pouncing on an effectively wild Gallen to cut the lead to 2-1. But, a strikeout and groundout got him two outs, and a leaping grab from the new 3rd baseman Eugenio Suarez got him out of the inning without further damage.
Geno singled to lead off the 2nd inning, but a bad strikeout for Blaze Alexander in his debut PA got the first out, and an Alek Thomas weak grounder got a double play.
Gallen’s nerves had cooled off by this point, as he mowed through the Rockies hitters through his 5 innings of work. His night finished with a decent line, 5IP, 1ER, 3 K’s and 2 BB’s across 90 pitches. It was relatively tension-free, thanks to an offensive burst in the 3rd inning that comes once in a Waning Gibbous.
All told, the Diamondbacks batted around two times in a 45-minute 3rd inning – combining for 14 runs on 13 hits, 2 walks, and a sac fly. The play-by-play is just as ridiculous.
Perdomo single. Marte single. Carroll walk. Gurriel Jr 2-rbi single. Walker 2-rbi double. Moreno rbi single. Suarez rbi single. Alexander flyout. Thomas rbi double. Perdomo rbi single. Marte rbi single. Carroll walk. Gurrield Jr. 2-rbi single. Walker single. Moreno 2-rbi double. Suarez rbi sac-fly. Alexander rbi single. Thomas ground out. Dbacks 16-1.
In a show of mercy, the offense pulled back and finished the night with two hits and a walk over the last 5 innings, and the bullpen combined for 4 scoreless innings to give us our final score of 16-1.
Every starter had 2 hits except for the bum Corbin Carroll, and you couldn’t ask for a better performance to start a season. Gallen was fine, and the bullpen allowed a single and walk to finish off the victory.
Game 2 of the series starts tomorrow, this time at 6:40 pm. Merrill Kelly is on the mound for the Diamondbacks facing Cal Quantrill for the Rockies.