For the second straight start, Zack Greinke of the Arizona Diamondbacks failed to receive adequate run support.
During the season, manager Torey Lovullo of the Arizona Diamondbacks continues hail Zack Greinke as both the ace and titular head of his pitching staff. Given a much-improved season from a year ago, Greinke has emerged as a reliable and dependable asset.
Greinke took the mound Monday night at home and there was an expectation his club would increase the top spot for the National League Wild Card spot. At this point, the National League Wild Card road runs through Phoenix, and if the Diamondbacks maintain their current lead over other contenders for the remaining Wild Card spot, there is better than even money that Greinke will start the Wild Card game in the desert on Oct. 4.
If that is to happen, the Diamondbacks need to swing the bats better in Greinke’s defense. For the second consecutive start, Greinke left with a no-decision, and the third no-decision in his last five starts.
Leaving at 2-2 after seven, Greinke handed the game over the bullpen. That’s when Nolan Arenado slammed a three-run homer in the eighth off reliever Jake Barrett, and that was enough to carry the Colorado Rockies to a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks before 24,178 in attendance Monday night at Chase Field.
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The loss was Arizona’s third in their last four. Plus, the Rockies cut the Diamondbacks lead for the first NL wild card spot to four games
On Monday, Greinke left after seven strong innings and allowed the hard-hitting and lethal Rockies five hits and two runs. In his previous game at Dodger Stadium, he surrendered one run in an eventual 3-1 Arizona victory.
It appears Greinke is holding opponents at bay, but remains struck on 16 wins. At one point, he was first to reach that level in 2017, but has not won since defeating the Dodgers at home on Aug. 31. Though Greinke left with the score tied at 2-2 Monday night, he failed to hold leads of 1-0 and 2-1. Initially, Arenado bested Greinke for a game-tying double in the sixth, and that caused Greinke’s second straight no-decision.
"“He’s always solid,” was Greinke’s reference to Arenado. “For the game, they thought of putting me out for the eighth, but it’s tough to face hitters a fourth time. My time (Monday night) was finished.”"
Yet, Arenado was not finished.
In a match-up which Lovullo wanted, the manager left Barrett in to face Arenado with two on and two outs in the eighth. Leaving a slider which did not slide over the plate, Arenado hammered the pitch into the left field stands for his 33rd home run of the season and major-league leading 123rd RBI.
"“It was just a bad slider,” Barrett told Call to the Pen. “I knew I’d finish the inning and had some success with (Arenado) in the past. The pitch was right in the middle of the plate, and he made good contact.”"
It’s clear that the Diamondbacks need to give Greinke more run support. That was evident into the eighth and the game tied at 2-2. To that point, the Diamondbacks had only four hits and seven base runners for the game. That left relievers vulnerable and Barrett did not have the luxury of any runs to work with. To that end, he allowed a two-out triple to DJ LeMahieu, walked Carlos Gonzalez and surrendered that three-run bomb to Nolan Arenado.
Despite the importance of this four-game set, the game drew only 24,178 to Chase Field, and Arenado’s blast quickly emptied the house.
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For the record
With six strikeouts Monday night, Greinke reached the 200 strikeout plateau for the sixth time in his major-league career. He is also the fifth pitcher in team history to reach this level. Randy Johnson accomplished this five times, Curt Schilling twice, Dan Haren twice, and Robbie Ray last season.