Arizona Diamondbacks: Does Zack Greinke remain ‘ace’ of the staff?

There could be signs Zack Greinke of the Arizona Diamondbacks may not be as effective as in the past.

The quiet buzz around the game is right-hander Zack Greinke of the Arizona Diamondbacks is fading. Not that he continues to possess value for the Diamondbacks, yet a growing refrain is that Greinke is not the once-dominant, prevailing and a domineering pitcher of past years.

His fastball barely reaches into the low 90s and should be amiss with his signature delivery, a breaking pitch down and into left-handers and down and away to right-handed hitters, then he becomes vulnerable. The issue of pinpoint control emerges as the primary characteristic, if not the strength, of his game.

The final weeks of the 2017 season may have produced evidence of a possible decline.

After picking up his 17^th victory of the season on Sept. 16 at San Francisco, Greinke then allowed nine runs to the Marlins in a no-decision on Sept. 22 and lost his final start of the season in Kansas City. He fared no better during the post-season.

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In the wild card game against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field, Greinke was knocked out in the fourth inning, surrendered six hits, four runs and a pitch count which reached 58, which included 37 for strikes.

Coming back in game three of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Greinke survived only five innings, and walked five in this effort. Including his two post-season appearances, the 34-year-old managed just one victory, that one over the Giants, in his final seven starts.

Whether his skills are diminishing, numbers in 2017 would not suggest a clear drop in efficiency and production.

His 17 wins tied for second in the league with Zack Davies of the Brewers and just one behind Clayton Kershaw, his former teammate with the Dodgers.  An ERA of 3.20 was good enough for sixth best in the NL, his 202.1 innings was fourth best in the league, and 215 strikeouts was behind league-leader Max Scherzer and just behind Jacob de Grom of the Mets (239), teammate Robbie Ray (218) and Carlos Hernandez of the Cardinals (217). Plus, his winning percentage of .708 was seventh best in the NL.

All of which would portend a continued tradition of winning and achievement. At the same time, the Diamondbacks have to be concerned of Greinke’s lack of production through the final weeks of the season and into the playoffs.

Still, the confidence level in Greinke remains strong.

After he exited the elimination game to the Dodgers in the NLDS, Greinke continued to draw praise from manager Torey Lovullo, who told Call to the Pen following that contest the right-hander remained the titular head of the pitching staff.

"“(Greinke) did a good job in several situations,” Lovullo said of that effort. “He kept it a one-run game. He’s our guy. He was our ace all year long, and I felt he deserved that opportunity. Once I saw the stuff start to get a little crisper in there, there was little swing and most swings and misses with the slider.”"

Before the wild-card game against the Rockies, and named the starter by Lovullo for that game, Arizona Diamondbacks decision-makers continued to accentuate his value. General manager Mike Hazen told Call to the Pen that Greinke’s history and production make him essential to the club.

"“(Greinke) has a pretty unique skill set and ability as a starting pitcher,” Hazen said. “His intelligence, ability to game plan, his command, his stuff, there is a reason why he was signed and he’s definitely fulfilled that.”"

If Greinke is on the down-side of his career, and he enters his 14^th major league season in 2018, then Ray, his teammate and a rising star in the game, could be poised to leap-frog past. With a 15-5 record, a 2.89 ERA good enough for fourth in the NL and his 218 strikes outs placed third among NL pitchers, Ray’s stature is ascending. Plus, named to the NL All-Star team did not halt his trajectory.

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While Lovullo, Hazen and other decision-makers will likely hold that Greinke starts the season as “the ace,” of the Arizona Diamondbacks, that could be altered, and a changing of the guard might follow.