Zack Greinke is now 6-0, best in the major leagues with a .40 ERA after pitching his second complete game of the season. Monday night’s game was a six game shutout over the Chicago White Sox and Greinke’s success is no accident.
Baseball is back in Kansas City and the Royals can thank Greinke. It was reported that over 6,500 fans walked up last night to buy tickets to see him pitch bringing the total paid attendance for the game to over 21,000.
Once again, Greinke was dominating and once he had an early lead, he was tough to hit. The Royals scored a run in the second and two in the third on an RBI single by Alberto Callaspo in the second and a solo homer from David DeJesus and RBI single by Billy Butler in the third.
Greinke retired the first seven batters before giving up a single to Scott Podsednik whose single deflected off second basemen Callapso’s glove. Podsednik was quickly thrown out trying to steal. Through the first five innings, Greinke allowed two singles.
With one out Podsednik doubled but was left stranded in the sixth. The White Sox started something in the 8th inning with two singles, but then Greinke got a double play ball and with a runner on third, got pinch hitter Wilson Betemit to strike out swinging.
Greinke finished off the Sox after a one out double by getting Carlos Quentin to fly to left and Jim Thome to pop out to third. Greinke is the first to get to six wins and just Fernando Valenzuela and Walter Johnson have lower ERAs at this point in the season then Greinke since ERA was a recorded stat.
Sox first baseman Paul Konerko says Greinke is the best right now in baseball, but won’t continue on the roll is has been on. Of course you would expect to Greinke to have some rough starts, but what I notice about Greinke is he’s not afraid to throw to that mid 90’s fastball high and tight. He’s pitching the way successful pitchers are suppose to pitch and this talk of pitchers shouldn’t be throwing up near the shoulders is ridiculous. Greinke went upstairs several times and that got the Sox hitters on their heels and he’d come back and throw the off speed pitches and hit the outside corners.
Going back to last September, Greinke has allowed just two earned runs in eight starts. Click to listen to the Royals postgame. Paul Konerko says Zack Greinke has put it all together Konerko says the Sox ran into a buzzsaw and Jayson Nix says the Sox need to put this game behind them. Zack Greinke says this pitching performance was his favorite this year. Billy Butler says it’s special playing behind Zack and David DeJesus says KC is gaining confidence.
