Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
So, yeah, Zack Greinke is pretty amazing. I know, I know, the Phillies, but Greinke’s performance was dominant in the Dodgers’ 6-0 win on Thursday night. This game was much faster and less dumb than two of the three that preceded it.
Greinke retired 21 batters in a row and 24 of the 25 he faced tonight. Ryan Howard and Ben Revere had singles for Philadelphia’s only hits of the game. Greinke lowered his MLB-leading ERA to 1.39 after a masterful performance: 8 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K, 94 pitches, 63 strikes, 12/2 GO/AO. He’s at 35 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, if you need him.
Also, this is just ridiculous.
Entering the ninth inning, Zack Greinke has retired 36 of the last 37 hitters he has faced.
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) July 10, 2015
Greinke didn’t pitch the ninth inning, giving him no shot at a Maddux. Oh well. Joel Peralta pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the win.
Heading into the All-Star break, and a likely start in the game, Greinke is doing Clayton Kershaw-esque things. If you didn’t think he was opting out after this season, I have some bad news for you.
On offense, Yasiel Puig wore his hittin’ shoes tonight. He was 2-for-4 with a home run (his 4th), a double (his 11th) and four runs batted in. He did some extra work with hitting coach Mark McGwire before the game, and it seems to have paid off. Then again, it was the Phillies — but I’m confident he’ll have a big second half. Adrian Gonzalez hit his 17th home run — a 2-run shot — of the season to account for the other Dodger runs.
The Dodgers improve to 49-38 on the season and improve their NL West lead to 5 1/2 games. Mike Bolsinger (4-3, 3.09 ERA) opposes the Brewers’ Jimmy Nelson (6-8, 4.50) for a 3-game weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Pacific time. They’re tied for the largest division lead in baseball with the Cardinals and Royals, also known as the two teams in baseball with better records than the Dodgers.
