(SportsNetwork.com) – Zack Greinke aims to continue his recent dominance
against the National League West on Sunday and will try to help the Los
Angeles Dodgers avoid a three-game sweep against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Greinke, who is 18-1 against the NL West since joining the Dodgers, was
marvelous against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, as he allowed two hits in
the first inning then none for the next five, but still received a no-decision
in his team’s 7-3 loss.
The 31-year-old right-hander is 5-3 lifetime versus the D-backs with a 3.96
ERA in 12 games. He was 3-0 against them last season with a 1.42 ERA, 26
strikeouts and seven walks.
Arizona, meanwhile, will turn to righty Josh Collmenter, who surrendered five
runs on 10 hits over 4 2/3 innings of his Opening Day loss to the San
Francisco Giants.
Collmenter had a 6.87 ERA in four games (three starts) against the Dodgers
last year.
Arizona got a tremendous performance from top pitching prospect Archie Bradley
in his MLB debut on Saturday, as he fired six shutout innings and was backed
by a Paul Goldschmidt two-run homer in a 6-0 win.
Bradley (1-0) allowed a hit and walked four while striking out six for the
Diamondbacks, who have taken the first two games of the series. A.J. Pollock
went 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
“I didn’t want to get too high. I just wanted to stay calm and remember what
we talked about in trying to get them out and just stay within myself,”
Bradley said.
Clayton Kershaw (0-1) surrendered six runs — five earned — on 10 hits and
three walks over 6 1/3 frames for Los Angeles, which has dropped three of its
last four games.
“I made a lot of mistakes,” Kershaw said.
The Dodgers won 15 of 19 games with the D-backs last season, including the
last five.
