Christian Walker’s two home runs and Zac Gallen’s impressive pitching led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 6-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night. With this win, the Diamondbacks maintain a two-game lead over the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves for the final NL wild card spot. Meanwhile, the Rangers saw their already slim playoff chances decrease further.

The game started with back-to-back solo home runs by Joc Pederson and Christian Walker in the first inning, giving the Diamondbacks an early 2-0 lead. Walker added another home run in the third inning, marking his 24th and 25th of the season and his first since returning from an oblique injury on September 3.

Zac Gallen delivered a strong performance on the mound, allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings. This outing followed his remarkable six hitless and scoreless innings in a previous game against the Giants.

Pavin Smith contributed to the Diamondbacks’ offense with an RBI double in the ninth inning, extending the lead to 5-0, and Jose Herrera’s RBI double further secured the victory at 6-0. The Rangers, who returned to Chase Field for the first time since winning the World Series in 2023, struggled to produce offensively, with Wyatt Langford and Josh Smith accounting for the only hits.

Looking ahead, the Diamondbacks will start RHP Merrill Kelly in the series finale against LHP Cody Bradford of the Rangers. Noteworthy updates from the injury front include Rangers’ RHP Jacob deGrom and RHP Max Scherzer expected to rejoin the rotation later in the week, while Diamondbacks’ C Gabriel Moreno and OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are progressing towards a return before the regular season concludes.