Apr 13, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) calls for the ball while on the mound in the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images / Allan Henry-Imagn Images
The Arizona Diamondbacks gauntlet of tough opponents continues as the Atlanta Braves will come to Phoenix on Friday for the first of a three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m.
Friday’s game will be the first of a handful of games broadcast for free over-the-air. Fans can tune in to 12News and view the broadcast free of charge. There will be nine more of such broadcasts coming at varying intervals throughout the season.
The Diamondbacks are 14-11, coming off a disappointing series loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Braves are a mere 10-14, but are playing much better than their record, as they’ve won five of their last six. The D-backs are 2-4 in their last six games.
Zac Gallen has been a puzzling case study throughout the early goings of the 2025 season. Though he’s showcased some dominance and has tossed two Quality Starts, he’s also had difficulty locating, and was roughed up for six runs over the first two innings of his last start in Chicago.
Gallen then settled down and pitched four scoreless innings. An admirable recovery, but simply too little, too late. That has been the story of Gallen’s season, with the exception of his 6.2-inning Yankee Stadium shutout.
The first time through the order, Gallen’s opponents are slashing .297/.422/.541 against him. But the second time through, the slash dips to .209 /.244/.419. Opponents’ weighted On-Base Average (wOBA) drops from .420 to .288 between the first and second time through.
Essentially, Gallen has needed to “settle in” to almost every one of his outings. The damage is coming early, and while Arizona’s offense has done wonders to come back from late deficits, it’s tough to start a game in an early hole.
So Gallen will need to get off to a better start to his outing on Friday. The Braves’ offense hasn’t been as terrifying as recent years, but they’re still a dangerous group of hitters. Gallen will need to avoid falling behind in counts early, and continue to hone his struggling fastball — a pitch that opposing batters are slugging .511 against.
36-year-old veteran ace Chris Sale can still punch out batters at an exceptional clip. A 2024 resurgence saw him win the NL Cy Young Award for his 2.38 ERA and 2.09 FIP over 177.2 innings (his most in a season since 2017).
Sale struck out 11.40 batters per nine in 2024, and walked only 1.98 per nine. So far in 2025, however, he’s struggled to the tune of a 6.17 ERA. But a look under the hood shows that the lefty ace is likely still pitching at a very high level.
Sale’s FIP is 3.79 and his expected FIP is 3.28. Those are nearly half of his raw ERA. He’s still striking out batters in high volume, with a 12.34 K/9 and a 29.1% K rate. He’s collecting whiffs at a 30.6% clip, and inducing chases outside the zone 37.9% of the time — a 94th percentile figure.
His BABIP against is .422 — an exceptionally, unsustainably high number. While the runs might be earned, all indications is that Sale is suffering from some poor batted ball luck.
With that said, Sale has not recorded an out in the sixth inning or later once in 2025. He hasn’t completed the fifth since April 1. He’s allowed multiple runs in every start thus far, and has seemed to be more hittable than in years past.
His trademark slider is his go-to pitch, coming in at just 78 MPH, but from a nearly-flat arm angle. Opponents are hitting .196 on the slider, and slugging .304. He also touches 95 MPH on his four-seam, and even has a changeup and sinker in his back pocket.
Diamondbacks lineup / Alex D’Agostino
The Diamondbacks went 5-for-29 with runners in scoring position in their previous series. Though Corbin Carroll and Tim Tawa both enjoyed exceptional performances, homering twice each.
Against Sale, Arizona will go right-hand heavy with a pair of switch-hitters.
Jorge Barrosa will get his first start in center field. Since his recall, the switch-hitter had only entered a game as a pinch-runner.
Randal Grichuk has seen just 32 plate appearances in 2025, with a slew of right-handers in recent series, but will get the start Friday against a southpaw. He has two career home runs and an .857 OPS against Sale in 23 at-bats.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has a home run off Sale, but a career .208 average against him. Gurriel has struggled offensively and defensively in 2025, hitting a mere .165. Eugenio Suárez is in a similar position, hitting .159 and committing an error in Thursday’s game.
Earlier Friday, the Diamondbacks called up right-hander Yilber Díaz, optioning J.P. Feyereisen in a corresponding move. Arizona’s bullpen is quite taxed with a variety of injuries and ailments, and heavy usage forced them to bring in a fresh arm in Díaz. Feyereisen took the loss in Thursday’s game, giving up three runs in extra innings.
Díaz faced the Braves in his MLB debut in 2024 as a starting pitcher, going six innings of one-run ball with five punchouts. So far in 2025, he’s struggled to a 5.82 ERA in the offense-heavy PCL.
Meanwhile, it’s likely relievers Jalen Beeks, Shelby Miller and Ryne Nelson are unavailable Friday. Manager Torey Lovullo will have limited options, especially in case of a short start by Gallen.
