Gallen throws blanks for Baby Cakes

After blanking Nashville over six innings in his first start of the season, Zac Gallen did not fare as well in his next two outings. On Saturday, he turned in his best start of 2018.
The Marlins' No. 13 prospect allowed four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts over a season-high seven innings as Triple-A New Orleans blanked Oklahoma City, 2-0, at the Shrine on Airline.

Gallen's outing was the longest by any Baby Cakes pitcher this season. In his previous two starts, the University of North Carolina product surrendered 19 hits and six runs over 11 innings, including 10 hits against Oklahoma City on April 16.
With that in mind, Gallen (2-1) had a different game plan for Saturday.

"The last time against these guys we noticed that with one strike they were looking for the fastball, so I went out with the idea of changing it up a little bit," he said. In addition to his well-spotted fastball, Gallen worked in the curve.
"Tonight was the most I've used it so far," he said of the off-speed pitch. "We know we wanted to use it more often, so I was just flipping it in there early for strikes."
Acquired from the Cardinals in the December trade that sent Marcell Ozuna to St. Louis, Gallen was a 2016 third-round Draft pick after being the Friday starter for a Tar Heels team that included Astros No. 3 prospect J.B. Bukauskas. He pitched 9 2/3 innings in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League after he was drafted, then returned to Chapel Hill to work toward finishing his degree.
Gallen moved quickly through the Cardinals system, reaching Triple-A Memphis in his first full season in 2017 after beginning the season with Class A Advanced Palm Beach. He finished with a 10-8 record and a 2.93 ERA in 26 starts across three levels.
"Last year was awesome," he said. "I didn't even imagine that would happen. I figured I'd end up in A-ball, maybe High-A. It was definitely a whirlwind."
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And even though he grew up a Cardinals fan in New Jersey, Gallen was OK with the deal to Miami.
"I was grateful for that time with the Cardinals, but in terms of my career, this is a better opportunity. The Cardinals have some studs, so while it was sad to leave those guys, this is better for my career."
Scouts say the 6-foot-2, 191-pounder has no plus pitches but relies on command and control to be successful. His fastball sits between 89-93 mph, but he pounds the low zone with strikes and his crossfire delivery adds much-needed deception. Gallen also throws a cutter and changeup and continues to work on a curveball that can get loopy at times. He gets plus grades for his makeup and mound presence, and that showed on Saturday.
In just his third pro season, Gallen knows the ultimate goal is just a phone call away and admits it's difficult not to think about that.
"Yeah, absolutely," he said about a callup to the Majors. "Every time you go out there, you think about it. That's why you play the game. At the same time, when I put on the uniform, I just go out there and try to win for my teammates."

The 22-year-old right-hander picked the right time to turn in a great performance because New Orleans didn't do much with Dodgers pitching Saturday. The Baby Cakes scored the game's only runs in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk by Rafael Ortega and a sacrifice fly by Chad Wallach. Marlins No. 7 prospect Magneuris Sierra had two singles.
Major League veterans Drew Rucinski, Sean Burnett and Jumbo Díaz closed out the Baby Cakes' second shutout of the season.
Former Major League right-hander Guillermo Moscoso matched Gallen through four innings, but left-hander Edward Paredes (1-2) took the loss after allowing his first earned runs of the season. Jake Peter doubled and singled for the Dodgers.