Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen held the Boston Red Sox hitless for six innings at Fenway Park on Saturday, winning 4-1.
The Diamondbacks (74-56) have won five straight games, including an 11th series in the last 12 sets, and secured a winning record on this nine-game, three-city tour.
Gallen overcame another rocky start to a game with two walks in the first inning, but he broke free and got going well. Boston didn’t record a single hit until the fifth inning, getting just two from Gallen.
Although Gallen allowed four batters to walk on Saturday, the Red Sox were only able to get two runners in scoring position with him on the mound.
Zac Gallen, Wicked Knuckle Curves. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/xJzQxr2YC8
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) 24 August 2024
The right-hander struck out nine hitters, his most since May 18, before going on the injured list with a hamstring strain. The last time Gallen threw six scoreless innings was his first start after the injured list on June 29.
Gallen’s knuckle curveball was once again top-notch, as he caused eight misses in 14 swings and only one was in play. He didn’t force as many swing-and-miss pitches on the fastball, but the pitch missed the barrels. Gallen finished the game with 99 throws, 59 of which were strikes.
“It’s fun to think about being on the mound with the guys who have played here for the last hundred years,” Gallen said after his first start at Fenway Park. “It’s fun to see ‘Sweet Caroline’ in the eighth inning. You grew up a baseball fan, these are things that kind of stick with you.”
The offense gave him some run support in the fourth inning when Eugenio Suarez hit a double against the Green Monster and scored two runs against Kutter Crawford. Suarez scored five runs in Friday’s 12-2 win, four of them on a grand slam against the Green Monster.
The Diamondbacks scored two more runs in the seventh inning, benefiting from three walks to load the bases, a fourth walk to score a run and a wild pitch from Boston reliever Brennan Bernardino.
The club managed just six hits after producing 16 hits on Friday, but it did manage six walks. The D-backs since July 1 entered Saturday ranked third in the MLB with a 9.7% walk rate and led the league in hits (442) and home runs (78).
“If the pitcher has good stuff or is attacking and we don’t get hits, I think our patience will pay off,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’ll get some baserunners and create some opportunities to score. We did that today.”
Boston made some noise in the ninth inning against Paul Sewald, and the D-backs brought Justin Martinez into the bullpen. Sewald couldn’t hold the shutout, but he did finish the game.
Next Diamondbacks game
Merrill Kelly (3.63 ERA) will be on the mound Sunday as the D-backs play for their second consecutive series win.
Boston’s likely starter is All-Star right-hander Tanner Houck (3.01 ERA).
First pitch is at 10:35 a.m. on ESPN 620 AM and the Arizona Sports app.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
