Zac Gallen, Daulton Varsho lead Diamondbacks past Cubs 3-1

CHICAGO (AP) — It was a grind for Zac Gallen. An impressive one.

Especially at the very end.

Gallen pitched five effective innings, Daulton Varsho homered and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Thursday night, stopping a six-game slide.

Gallen (3-0) allowed one run and two hits, continuing his strong start to the season. The right-hander issued three walks and hit a batter, but he wiggled out of a jam in his last inning while earning his first win in his fourth career start against Chicago.

“Warming up before the game, just didn’t feel particularly sharp,” he said. “Same thing in the fifth, wasn’t exactly sharp, wasn’t able to really execute to the best of my abilities.”

After finishing 2021 with a career-high 4.30 ERA, Gallen has permitted two or fewer runs in each of his first seven starts this year.

“Really just try to put a stop to the losing streak, get us back to playing baseball like we were a week ago,” Gallen said. “We’re a good team.”

The Cubs got Marcus Stroman back from the COVID-19 injured list, but they went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Yan Gomes doubled home Willson Contreras in the fourth for the team’s only run in the opener of a four-game series.

Stroman (1-4) allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits in five innings in his first start since May 1. The right-hander struck out six and walked none.

“I thought I competed pretty well, and I was in the zone,” Stroman said. “I've had layoffs like that before in the past, and I've been kind of all over the place. Just to be around the zone and give my team a chance, I think it's something good to build off.”

Stroman retired his first nine batters, but Varsho drove his first pitch of the...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Zac-Gallen-Daulton-Varsho-lead-Diamondbacks-past-17186021.php