Walker belts 2 homers, Gallen dominates on mound and the D-backs beat the Rangers 6-0

PHOENIX (AP) — Christian Walker hit a pair of homers, Zac Gallen threw five dominant innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Texas Rangers 6-0 on Tuesday night.

Arizona (81-64) is a half-game behind San Diego (82-64) for the top NL wild card, and the Braves and Mets (both 79-66) are two games back of the Diamondbacks and tied for the last playoff position.

Texas is seven games back of the last AL wild card with 17 games left and need to overcome five teams.

Joc Pederson and Walker hit back-to-back solo homers in the first to give the D-backs a 2-0 lead. Walker went deep again in third — going opposite field for the second straight time — to put Arizona up 4-0.

Walker has 25 homers after returning Sept. 3 from an oblique injury.

Gallen (12-6) gave up just two hits and two walks while striking out seven for his second straight dominant start. The right-hander threw six hitless and scoreless innings in a win over the Giants on Sept. 4.

Pavin Smith, who hit a career-high three homers in a win over the Astros on Sunday, had an RBI double that made it 5-0 in the ninth. Jose Herrera's RBI double pushed it to 6-0.

The Rangers were back at Chase Field for the first time since beating the D-backs in Game 5 of the World Series on Nov. 1, which clinched the first Fall Classic in franchise history.

Nathan Eovaldi (11-8) — who threw six scoreless innings in that clinching Game 5 — was back on the mound Tuesday. He gave up four runs and seven hits over five innings, walking one and striking out six.

Wyatt Langford had two hits and two stolen bases for the Rangers. Josh Smith had the only other hit.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Jacob deGrom and RHP Max Scherzer are expected to return to the starting rotation later this week. Manager Bruce Bochy said deGrom (Tommy John elbow surgery) will pitch Friday and Scherzer (shoulder) will be Saturday. DeGrom hasn't pitched in the big leagues since April 28, 2023.

Diamondbacks: C Gabriel Moreno (groin) and OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (calf) continue to progress. Manager Torey Lovullo hopes both can return before the regular season ends.

UP NEXT

The D-backs send RHP Merrill Kelly (4-0, 4.08 ERA) to the mound on Wednesday, while the Rangers counter with LHP Cody Bradford (5-2, 3.05 ERA) in the finale of the two-game series.

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Arizona Diamondbacks' Christian Walker gestures towards his bullpen after hitting a home run against the Texas Rangers during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen throws against the Texas Rangers during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll, left, shares a laugh with Texas Rangers second base Marcus Semien (2) during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux, middle, talks with his catcher Jonah Heim, left, and pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, right, during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Christian Walker, left, shares a laugh with designated hitter Joc Pederson (3) after the pair hit back to back home runs against the Texas Rangers during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Texas Rangers' Adolis García reacts after striking out against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson (3) greets Christian Walker, right, at home plate after Walker's second home run of the game against the Texas Rangers during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

A key employee who labeled a doomed experimental submersible unsafe prior to its last, fatal voyage testified Tuesday that he frequently clashed with the company’s co-founder and felt the company was committed only to making money.

David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former operations director, is one of the most anticipated witnesses to appear before a commission trying to determine what caused the Titan to implode en route to the wreckage of the Titanic last year, killing all five on board. His testimony echoed that of other former employees Monday, one of whom described OceanGate head Stockton Rush as volatile and difficult to work with.

“The whole idea behind the company was to make money,” Lochridge said. “There was very little in the way of science.”

Rush was among the five people who died in the implosion. OceanGate owned the Titan and brought it on several dives to the Titanic going back to 2021.

His testimony began a day after other witnesses painted a picture of a troubled company that was impatient to get its unconventionally designed craft into the water. The accident set off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration.

The company, based in Washington state, suspended its operations after the implosion.

OceanGate's former engineering director, Tony Nissen, kicked off Monday's testimony, telling investigators that he felt pressured to get the vessel ready to dive and refused to pilot it for a journey several years before Titan's last trip.

“‘I’m not getting in it,’” Nissen said he told Rush.

When asked if there was pressure to get Titan into the water, Nissen responded, “100%.”

But asked if he felt that the pressure compromised safety decisions and testing, Nissen paused, then replied, “No. And that’s a difficult question to answer, because given infinite time and infinite budget, you could do infinite testing.”

OceanGate's former finance and human resources director, Bonnie Carl, testified Monday that Lochridge had characterized the Titan as “unsafe.” Lochridge is expected to provide more perspective on what caused the implosion.

Coast Guard officials noted at the start of the hearing that the submersible had not been independently reviewed, as is standard practice. That and Titan's unusual design subjected it to scrutiny in the undersea exploration community.

During the submersible's final dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about the Titan's depth and weight as it descended. The support ship Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display.

One of the last messages from Titan’s crew to Polar Prince before the submersible imploded stated, “all good here,” according to a visual re-creation presented earlier in the hearing.

When the submersible was reported overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said.

Scheduled to appear later in the hearing are OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein and former scientific director, Steven Ross, according to a list compiled by the Coast Guard. Numerous guard officials, scientists, and government and industry officials are also expected to testify. The U.S. Coast Guard subpoenaed witnesses who were not government employees, said Coast Guard spokesperson Melissa Leake.

Among those not on the hearing witness list is Rush’s widow, Wendy Rush, the company’s communications director. Asked about her absence, Leake said the Coast Guard does not comment on the reasons for not calling specific individuals to a particular hearing during ongoing investigations. She said it’s common for a Marine Board of Investigation to “hold multiple hearing sessions or conduct additional witness depositions for complex cases.”

OceanGate has no full-time employees at this time but will be represented by an attorney during the hearing, the company said in a statement. The company said it has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since they began.

The time frame for the investigation was initially a year, but the inquiry has taken longer. The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. When the hearing concludes, recommendations will be submitted to the Coast Guard’s commandant. The National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting an investigation.

Coast Guard's Thomas Whalen, left, speaks with Nicole Emmons, right, during a break for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Coast Guard's Thomas Whalen speaks with another Coast Guard member during a break for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Jason Neubauer, board chairman, of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing pauses for a moment of silence inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Coast Guard members of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing pause for a moment of silence inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Coast Guard members of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing take an oath inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

A key employee who called the Titan unsafe will testify before the Coast Guard

FILE - This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)

A key employee who called the Titan unsafe will testify before the Coast Guard