Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Don Mattingly On Zack Greinke, ‘He’s Tremendous’

Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

With Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy out for the season, Hyun-Jin Ryu not having pitched yet this season and Clayton Kershaw struggling a little bit, the pitching staff has needed that anchor to take the ball every fifth day and pitch deep into the game giving the team a chance to win.

So far this season, that anchor has been Zack Greinke. The 31-year-old is 5-0 in seven starts with a 1.52 ERA, which is the lowest ERA among qualified National League starters. His five wins also ranks second in the NL behind only Bartolo Colon of the New York Mets. Dating back to last season Greinke is 10-0 in his last 14 starts.

According to Dodgers Nation reporter Matt Moreno, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is particularly impressed with how well Greinke has been pitching because he did not have a good Spring Training:

He’s been tremendous. It’s funny because in Spring Training, he was everywhere and every thing was wrong, nothing was working right. He was just frustrated and the season has been the exact opposite. He seems to be sharp. His stuff has been good. Things have kind of fell his way to this point in the season. Obviously he makes them fall that way,” Mattingly said after Monday’s game.

In 12.2 innings this past spring Greinke gave up 11 hits, six walks and five earned runs. He was also shut down for a short period of time to receive a lubricating injection in his elbow.

The right-hander has turned it around in a big way, as he has gone at least six innings and given up three runs or less in all seven of his starts, and has gone at least seven innings in four of them.

While the Dodgers will perhaps try to make a move to add starting pitching with the injuries to McCarthy and Ryu, Greinke has proven to be the top of the rotation starter that they signed him for $147 million to be.

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