​LOS ANGELES — Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen will not start as scheduled on Sunday, July 12, and appears headed toward the injured list with right elbow inflammation, according to manager Torey Lovullo on Saturday. Left-hander Mitch Bratt, currently with the club at Dodger Stadium as a taxi squad member, is expected to start Sunday in Gallen’s stead. Lovullo said Gallen reported feeling something in his elbow following his appearance earlier this week in San Diego. He returned to Phoenix for an MRI, which Lovullo noted showed inflammation.
This marks another setback for Arizona’s rotation, which has been beset by injuries in recent weeks. Right-handers Ryne Nelson (elbow) and Michael Soroka (glute) were hurt on consecutive days last month, a stretch that followed Corbin Burnes’s shoulder injury as he was working his way back from elbow surgery. “Those are the guys we were projecting were going to carry the heavy workload,” Lovullo said. “But we know the landscape and we’ve got to make adjustments. It’s nothing that we predicted. It’s very unfortunate. It’s an unfortunate part of this game that everybody has to deal with.”
For now, the Diamondbacks’ rotation consists of right-handers Brandon Pfaadt and Merrill Kelly and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, with Bratt likely to receive a string of starts while Gallen is unavailable. It remains unclear what the club will do beyond Bratt’s opportunities; one option could be to bring back right-hander Jose Cabrera, who was optioned to Triple-A Reno earlier in the week.
In a game at Dodger Stadium, Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (2-1, 4.84) faced Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-5, 2.49). Pfaadt had delivered two solid starts since returning from Reno, most recently tossing five scoreless innings against the Padres at Petco Park. He threw 66 and 72 pitches in those two outings, respectively, placing him on track to throw roughly 85 pitches in his next start against Los Angeles. Over 44 career innings against the Dodgers, Pfaadt owns a 5.32 ERA, and he has found more resistance from Mookie Betts (10-for-22, two homers), Freddie Freeman (8-for-22, three doubles), and Kyle Tucker (3-for-5, one homer). Yamamoto, meanwhile, has been dominant of late, logging a 1.48 ERA across his past eight starts after striking out 10 over seven scoreless innings in his most recent outing. He last faced Arizona on Opening Day, surrendering two runs in six frames, with Geraldo Perdomo homering off him in that game.
Looking ahead to Sunday, July 12, the Dodgers will host the Diamondbacks at 1:10 p.m. local time with the game billed as Diamondbacks TBA against Dodgers right-hander Emmet Sheehan (4-6, 4.91). The club will also be competing in a stretch that includes an All-Star break from Monday, July 13 through Thursday, July 16, giving players a chance to recharge before resuming the schedule.