Zac Gallen had one of his best starts of the season, tossing seven shutout innings as the D-backs squeaked past the Pirates. For a long time, it looked as if a run-scoring double-play would be all Arizona might obtain, before a two-run Ketel Marte single with the bases loaded in the eighth, provided some much needed breathing room. Chairman of the Closer Committee, Ian Kennedy, notched his seventh save, and the D-backs reached the two-thirds point of the campaign fifteen games better than they were at the same stage in 2021.
Through 51⁄2 innings, there had been precious little to write about, beyond the excellence of Gallen.