The 9 Runs and 12 Hits Zac Gallen Gave Up That Tell You Everything About Arizona's Crushing Night

Alright, you know how sometimes a game just feels like it's spiraling outta control? Well, buckle up, because Saturday night in Phoenix, the Minnesota Twins absolutely detonated on the Arizona Diamondbacks, slamming them 16-8. And listen, while Byron Buxton dropped a grand slam that was pure fireworks, the real story is how the D-backs' ace, Zac Gallen, completely unraveled in a fifth inning that saw the Twins put up a TEN-SPOT. Yeah, you read that right. A 10-run inning. This wasn't just a loss, this was a statement.

Gallen's Unimaginable Meltdown

Man, what happened to Zac Gallen? The dude was an NL All-Star in 2023, but Saturday night was a certified nightmare. He gave up career highs, folks. NINE runs and TWELVE hits in just four innings of work. That's a brutal line for any pitcher, let alone your supposed stopper. His record is now 3-6, which, oof. The Twins started chipping away early, with Brooks Lee's two-run single getting them on the board in the first. Gallen actually retired eight straight, but then it all fell apart. Soft singles, a swinging bunt, and then Ryan Kreidler's grounder pushing it to 3-0. Trevor Larnach followed up with *another* single, driving in two more, making it 5-0. And then Kody Clemens dropped one into left-center to make it 6-0. It was a slow bleed that turned into a full-on arterial gush.

The 10-Run A

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valanche And then came the fifth inning. Good Lord. It started innocent enough, with Lee tripling into the corner, then scoring on a Victor Caratini double to make it 7-0. Luke Keaschall singled, putting runners on the corners, and that was it for Gallen. His night was done. But the Twins weren't done with the D-backs' bullpen, oh no. Yilber Diaz came in and immediately found himself in a bases-loaded situation. Guess who stepped up? Byron Buxton. He went the other way, a no-doubter grand slam over the right-field fence, pushing the lead to a mind-boggling 12-0. They piled on even more, with Caratini adding a two-run single and Kreidler smashing a two-run triple. Just like that, 10 runs in one inning. The Diamondbacks tried to scratch back a little, with Jorge Barrosa homering and doubling, Ildemaro Vargas delivering a three-run double, and Pavin Smith grabbing an RBI single. They even got one more in the eighth to get to eight runs, but come on, 16-8? The Twins just won their fifth game in six, and the D-backs, who had won four of five before this, just got absolutely shellacked. Talk about a gut punch. For the D-backs, this game has gotta sting, especially seeing their ace get absolutely torched. You never want to see a guy give up career highs like that, and for Arizona, they'll be looking to bounce back hard after this kind of beatdown. Meanwhile, the Twins are clearly rolling, and performances like this show why. What a wild night in the desert.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.