That malice that happened down in San Diego a month ago is now but a long, distant memory.
With no one expecting Zack Greinke, the Dodgers’ $147 million pitcher, back so soon from receiving surgery on a broken collarbone, he was able to fit in one rehab start in Rancho Cucamonga last week, all in time to be awarded the start last night against the Washington Nationals.
Keep in mind that the original synopsis for Greinke was for him to be out 8-10 weeks.
Apparently, he didn’t get the memo.
It took him just five weeks to come back and recover from an injury that happened during a meaningless brawl that should have never occurred in the first place. Thankfully, that is now in the past and there is nothing to look forward to, but the future.
So how did Greinke fare against this pesky Nationals lineup? Not all too bad.
He was able to go 5-1/3 innings, giving up just one run on five hits. He was able to strike out four batters and, what really surprised me, no walks. You would think that a guy who missed a month of play would come back a bit shaky and have trouble with his command.
Well, not this former Cy Young Award winner.
Greinke was able to pitch out of a couple jams and only made one mistake, hanging a pitch down the middle to Adam LaRoche. One, that a second later, was seen carrying over the right field bleachers. Other than that, Zack was being Zack on the mound, owning hitters with his stuff.
After 83 pitches, he was pulled from the game by manager Don Mattingly, and that was when it was safe to say, ”Welcome back, Zack!”
For the Dodgers and their fans, it was really a great boost to see their No. 2 pitcher back on the field where he belongs. A boost that can help the ball club get over this little hump they’re in and deliver some momentum. And with momentum, that can lead to more and more victories.
Glad to have you back, Zack.
Oh, and the Dodgers came out victorious in this one, 3-1.
