Greinke dominant as Dodgers secure home field in NLDS
The Los Angeles Dodgers will enjoy the comforts of home when they kick off the National League Division Series next week thanks to another stellar performance by their star right-hander.
Zack Greinke stifled the San Diego Padres over eight innings before handing the ball over to closer Kenley Jansen as the Dodgers edged the San Diego Padres 2-1 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
With the win, the Dodgers guaranteed themselves home-field advantage in the NLDS against the New York Mets beginning Friday.
"A lot of things are up in the air when you don't know," manager Don Mattingly told reporters about securing Game 1 at Dodger Stadium. "This solidifies some of the things."
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
One day after Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta threw six shutout innings, Greinke closed his NL Cy Young candidacy by clinching the ERA title with eight innings of one-run ball, striking out eight to improve to 19-3 on the season.
"I'm happy Zack pitched so well for all the rest of us," Mattingly said. "He's more into the spirit of pitches and his game plan. Those things aren't important to him."
| Pitcher | W-L | ERA | IP | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrieta | 22-6 | 1.77 | 229 | 236 |
| Greinke | 19-3 | 1.66 | 222.2 | 200 |
With his strikeout of Padres catcher Derek Norris in the eighth inning, Greinke reached the 200-strikeout plateau for the fifth time in his 12-year career. The three-time All-Star also guaranteed he'll finish the season with the lowest ERA and WHIP among starters.
"I felt more dominant in 2009," Greinke, the 2009 AL Cy Young winner, said. "This year there wasn't hardly any errors behind me the whole year. We played really well as a team."
Greinke's 1.66 ERA is the lowest by a qualified starter since Greg Maddux crafted a 1.63 mark in 1995.