SAN DIEGO — Top NL Cy Young Award contender Zac Gallen beat the San Diego Padres for the second straight begin and Tommy Pham and Gabriel Moreno homered to offer the Arizona Diamondbacks a 3-1 victory Thursday evening within the opener of a four-game collection between groups making an attempt to maintain their wild-card hopes from slipping away.

Each workforce had simply three hits. The Diamondbacks received their third straight and the Padres misplaced for the eighth time in 11 video games.

Gallen (13-5) held the Padres to at least one run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings whereas placing out three and strolling one. The right-hander beat the Padres 3-0 in his earlier begin Saturday in Phoenix, throwing six innings of four-hit ball with eight strikeouts.

Rookie reliever Justin Martinez, pitching in simply his fifth recreation, earned a four-out save, his first. He walked two within the ninth earlier than punching out Jake Cronenworth to finish it.

“A beautiful experience just to have the opportunity, right, and that it actually happened is a blessing,” Martinez mentioned by an interpreter.

Martinez was recalled from Triple-A Reno earlier within the day after a tricky collection at Colorado taxed the Diamondbacks‘ bullpen.

PHOTOS: Gallen beats the Padres once more, Pham and Moreno homer within the Diamondbacks' 3-1 victory

“I’m really proud of him,” supervisor Torey Lovullo mentioned. “Look, he obtained on a aircraft this morning in Reno and obtained right here very, very early and his world was in all probability spinning tremendous quick. As skinny as we had been within the bullpen, he had no thought what had been trying to do with him tonight and he stepped up and did it and it was enjoyable for us to look at.

“That was a pretty intense atmosphere. Our dugout erupted after that final strike was called,” Lovullo mentioned. “We were all really excited for him. It was a good moment for this team. This team is playing good baseball. To be honest, we’re gassed. I know this group is very tired coming out of the altitude in Colorado. This was a fatigued team today that went out there and won a baseball game and that’s what I’m most proud of.”

Arizona got here into the evening 1 1/2 video games out of the third wild-card spot, whereas the Padres had been 4 1/2 again. The Diamondbacks had been seven video games above .500 on July 31 earlier than shedding 9 straight video games, together with the opener of a three-game collection towards the Padres in Phoenix final weekend. They received the subsequent two towards the Padres after which took two of three at Colorado.

“We had taxed our bullpen pretty good the last couple of days so this was a game I knew I had to go as far as I possibly should,” Gallen mentioned. “I didn’t feel particularly sharp early. It was just trying to stay in counts, reduce some contact and get some outs.”

The Padres took two of three towards the AL-leading Baltimore Orioles earlier this week however have didn't play as much as the expectations that include having baseball’s third-highest payroll and making it to the NL Championship Series final fall.

Rich Hill (7-13), a 34-year-old lefty acquired from Pittsburgh on the commerce deadline, misplaced his third straight begin for the Padres. He retired the primary 10 Diamondbacks batters earlier than strolling Corbin Carroll with one out within the fourth. Pham then drove the subsequent pitch to heart subject, his twelfth.

It was Pham‘s fifth homer towards the Padres in 15 video games for the reason that begin of the 2022 season. He was with the Padres in 2020-21.

Moreno despatched a drive into the house run porch in the appropriate subject nook main off the fifth, his fourth.

Hill allowed three runs and two hits in 5 innings.

The Padres broke by towards Gallen within the fifth. Cronenworth despatched a drive to deep heart that bounced off Alek Thomas’ glove as he and Pham, the left fielder, almost collided. He scored on Trent Grisham’s single.

The prime 5 within the Padres‘ order went 0 for 17.

STORM WATCH

With Hurricane Hilary shifting up Mexico’s Pacific coast, each groups are maintaining a tally of the forecast for the weekend, significantly Sunday. “Sunday is the last time we’ll play the Padres, so I think right now it’s in Major League Baseball’s hands as far as what buttons we can push and what buttons we can’t push,” Lovullo mentioned. “We know the storm’s coming … and there’s a chance we could get washed out. I think it’s 50-50 right now.”

ROSTER MOVE

To make room for Martinez, the Diamondbacks optioned RHP Luis Frias to Reno.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (0-6, 6.91 ERA) and Padres RHP Seth Lugo (4-6, 4.16) are scheduled to begin Friday evening.

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