It’s been 15 games since he’s had a quality start (six innings of three runs or less), but it’s no laughing matter. Zack Greinke, 40, of the Kansas City Royals, is a veteran pitcher with 224 career wins.
Greinke took the mound for the Royals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, on April 30.
He faced a Cleveland lineup of Stephen Khan (left fielder), Ahmed Rosario (shortstop), Jose Ramirez (third baseman), Josh Naylor (first baseman), Josh Bell (designated hitter), Andres Jimenez (second baseman), Will Brennan (right fielder), Myles Straw (center fielder), and Cam Gallagher (catcher).
Greinke was in trouble early on. After getting two outs in the first inning, he faltered. Two walks and a single loaded the bases, but he got Jimenez to ground out to second base to end the inning.
He didn’t allow another run after that, but he was far from clean. He gave up a hit in each inning and left runners on base.
The first run came in the top of the fifth inning. A sacrifice fly to Ramirez put runners on first and third for an early 0-1 lead. He then gave up an RBI single to Bell to make it 0-2. In the final inning, the top of the sixth, he couldn’t get out of a jam. He gave up two hits but retired the next two batters to prevent further damage.카지노사이트
Greinke was replaced by reliever Carlos Hernandez to close out the game in the top of the seventh. His final line was six innings, 11 hits, two walks, and two runs. It was his first quality start in 15 games since April 6 against the Toronto Blue Jays, but it’s nothing to smile about. He gave up a lot of hits and didn’t use his overpowering pitches to strike out the opposition. Regardless of the record, it’s hard to call it a quality start.
As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as too many years in the sun, and the legendary pitcher has been declining in recent years. This is the first time in his 531 career major league starts that Greinke has allowed double-digit runs without striking out a batter. It’s also a sign of his decline.
Gronkie’s first quality start in 15 games. Regardless of the outcome, we can’t help but smile bittersweetly at a pitcher who is no longer the same.