The goal of starting pitchers is to pitch a quality game each time on the mound, as this gives their respective team a great opportunity to emerge victorious.
There’s one team in MLB that almost guaranteed a win when one of their starting pitchers takes the ball every fifth day. Who might this team be? It’s the Los Angeles Dodgers when Zack Greinke is pitching.
Greinke leads the National League with seven wins and is third with an ERA of 2.03 in 53.1 innings pitched. He has struck out 61 batters and only walked 12, while allowing seven home runs in nine starts. He has a WHIP of 1.11 and a SO/9 of 10.3.
He is limiting the opposition to a .234 batting average, and right-handed batters are only hitting .227 in 97 at-bats. Greinke is lights out with runners in scoring position, as teams only have a .162 average in this situation.
In his most recent start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he fired eight scoreless innings and yielded just five hits. This was the 21st consecutive start that he allowed two or fewer runs.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, this ties him with Roger Clemens for the longest streak in the last 100 years.
Zack Greinke has allowed 2 ER or fewer in 21 straight starts, tying Roger Clemens for the longest streak in last 100 years.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 17, 2014
Another indication of his domination is that the Dodgers have a record of 29-8 in his starts since he joined them last year.
The thing that makes Greinke such an outstanding pitcher is the command of all his pitches. He can throw any of them for strikes, and this makes life tough for opposing batters.
Photo: Gary A. Vasquez, USA Today