SEATTLE (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen left his start against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night after feeling tightness in his right hamstring.
Gallen walked Mariners third baseman Josh Rojas leading off the sixth inning and then was removed by Arizona manager Torey Lovullo in the middle of an at-bat against Julio Rodríguez. There was no obvious incident that caused an injury, but Gallen appeared bothered and, after discussion with an athletic trainer on the mound, left the game.
Arizona trailed 2-1 when Gallen was removed and Seattle’s lead ballooned to 6-1 after reliever Scott McGough gave up a grand slam to Mitch Haniger. Gallen was charged with three runs on three hits and threw 64 pitches.
Gallen had retired seven straight batters before walking Rojas.
Gallen was 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in his first five starts this season. He made 34 starts and went 13-7 with a 3.47 ERA last season, finishing third in the National League Cy Young Award voting.
Gallen’s injury is the latest ailment for the Diamondbacks’ starting rotation. Arizona placed right-hander Merrill Kelly on the 15-day injured list earlier this week with a right shoulder strain. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez suffered a left lat strain during spring training, is currently on the 60-day injured list and is not expected to return until May or June.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb