LDN - Sports

Ex-L.A. ace Greinke pitches D-backs past Dodgers

[June 14, 2016] PHOENIX -- Arizona right-hander Zack Greinke assured his manager that he was fine during a mound visit in the seventh inning. Then he proved it.

Greinke retired Corey Seager and Justin Turner with the tying run on first base to maintain a one-run lead, and Greinke won his sixth consecutive start in a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field on Monday.

Brad Ziegler converted his 41st consecutive save opportunity, getting five outs for his 13th save of the season.

Before the seventh inning, Seager and Turner were 4-for-5 with a walk and a near-homer off Greinke, who had thrown 108 pitches when manager Chip Hale went out to talk.

"I just wanted to make sure he felt good," Hale said. "He's very honest. That's one thing that Zack will give you is honesty. He felt like his stuff was still good. So I said, 'You want this guy? He said, 'Yeah.'

"I said, 'OK, go get 'em.'"

Greinke (9-3) got out of the inning on a fly ball and a strikeout. He wound up permitting two runs and seven hits in seven innings during his first appearance against the Dodgers since leaving them for a $206.5 million free agent contract with the Diamondbacks last winter.

"Probably way more honest," said Greinke, who walked two and struck out six. "Today, I didn't really know. I knew I felt really good. I'd been executing pitches. I'm having trouble putting them away, but I'm making pitches."

Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb hit their 12th homers of the season, and Greinke's one-out single in the sixth inning sparked a go-ahead rally for a 3-2 lead. Nick Ahmed forced Greinke at second before stealing second and scoring on Jean Segura's single.

Ziegler entered with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning. He struck out pinch hitter Enrique Hernandez before center fielder Michael Bourn made a diving catch on Howie Kendrick's sinking liner to end the inning. Ziegler then threw a perfect ninth.

His consecutive-saves streak is tied for the seventh-longest run in major league history.

"Bourn made the play in center that saved the game," Ziegler said. "As soon as it was hit, I said, 'Oh, gosh, I hope he is shallow enough.' It was a really good team win."

Seager and Turner had two hits apiece for the Dodgers (33-32), who have lost four of their last five.

Bourn's catch was one of three good defensive plays by Arizona (29-37), which has won three in a row, its first three-game home winning streak of the season, and four of six.

Rookie left fielder Peter O'Brien went to the fence to take at least a double and possibly a home run away from Turner, who was hitting after Seager's bases-empty homer tied the game at 2 in the fifth inning.

Second baseman Segura made a running catch in short center field to take a hit away from Scott Van Slyke with two outs and a runner on third to end the sixth inning, preserving a 3-2 lead.

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Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zack Greinke (21) throws during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

"I don't know if that was a robbed homer, but it was close," Greinke said. "Segura made probably one of the best plays, ever, in a game I've pitched."

Bourn, who entered the game for defensive purposes in the seventh inning, got a good jump on Kendrick's soft liner.

"That was one of those times, I got a good read on it and felt like I wanted to go for it," Bourn said. "Even if I try to stop it with my body, they're going to score two runs anyway."

Bourn was asked which play was the best. After a six-second pause, he said, "The bases were loaded when I did it."

Greinke threw a season-high 119 pitches. He threw that many once with the Dodgers last season.

"We saw the best of Zack Greinke, and obviously he wanted to show well against his former team, and we competed for nine innings," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

"A couple of plays they made, if they would have fallen, it would have been a different game."

NOTES: The Dodgers released OF Carl Crawford on Monday after designating him for assignment on June 5. The Dodgers owe Crawford, 35, the prorated portion of his $20.75 million salary this season and $21 million next season. Crawford, acquired on Aug. 25, 2012, hit .278 with 18 homers and 48 stolen bases in parts of four seasons with the Dodgers. ... Arizona RHP Zack Greinke was 51-15 in three seasons with the Dodgers from 2013-15. Sandy Koufax, Clayton Kershaw and Greinke are the only Dodgers starters with a 2.30 ERA or better over a three-season span in the Los Angeles era. ... Dodgers LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu gave up two runs (one earned) in three innings in a rehab start at Class A Rancho Cucamonga. Ryu missed last season after undergoing shoulder surgery. ... Arizona RHP Shelby Miller will make a rehab start Tuesday for Class A Visalia, after which the Diamondbacks' rotation plans around an off day Thursday could come into focus, manager Chip Hale said.

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