Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
This has not been a normal season for Zack Greinke or for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The first year of Greinke’s big new contract has seen him only make ten starts because of the troubles that have followed him. It all started with the big incident between he and Carlos Quentin that resulted in a lengthy disabled list stay. From there he has continued to be a lightning rod for controversy but in spite of everything is beginning to pitch well and turn things around for his season.
His most recent outing came against the very tough San Diego Padres who have been one of the hottest teams in the major leagues of late. Greinke looked as good as he ever has while shutting them down and getting a big win for the Dodgers. He pitched eight innings and gave up only 1 run from four hits. That kind of start, especially it leading to a Dodgers victory is exactly what the team needed from him on that night and he gave it to them.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Dodgers hit a short winning streak of their own after such a dominant performance from Greinke lifted their team and especially the day off it gave the bullpen. This is the kind of thing the Dodgers have been missing from Greinke, either because of injury or because he struggled, all season long. If he can get into a grove where he pitches like this more times than not, the Dodgers will benefit big time. Who knows, they might even join the playoff race party in the National League West before its all over.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
