In a battle of aces, both Spencer Strider and Zac Gallen were at their best early. They were each doing what they do best, with Strider racking up countless swings and misses, while Gallen avoided the barrel as well as mixing in some whiffs of his own.
Through five innings, both pitchers were absolutely dominant, with Gallen not allowing a single baserunner and Strider struck out 12 D-backs in the first five frames. The only time either pitcher got into trouble was when Strider allowed a leadoff triple to Ketel Marte. However, he responded by striking out the side to eliminate the threat.