Recap: Zack Greinke Throws 8 Shutout Innings To Extend Scoreless Streak
Greinke ended the fifth inning on a strikeout, his fifth of the game, protecting the Dodgers’ 2-0 lead and extending his scoreless streak to 32.2 innings. Although Greinke nearly gave up a solo home run to Cameron Rupp, the ball hooking just foul down the left field line, the sixth was much of the same for the right-hander.
Greinke wound up striking out Rupp and was out of the inning three pitches later. Adrian Gonzalez added to the Dodgers’ lead in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run home run that hit the foul pole in right field. Ethier drew a one-out walk and went first to third on Rollins’ double.
That marked the end of the Severino Gonzalez’s night as he gave way to Elvis Araujo, who retired Alberto Callaspo. Greinke tossed a scoreless seventh inning, striking out Howard to end it and giving the right-hander 18 consecutive batters retired, and 21 of 22 overall in the game.
Additionally, Greinke’s 34.2 scoreless innings streak to that point was the longest this season in the Majors. Joc Pederson worked back from an 0-2 count against Araujo to work a one-out walk in the bottom of the seventh. However, Kendrick and Adrian Gonzalez stranded the rookie center fielder.
The Phillies failed to again muster so much as a baserunner in the eighth as Greinke breezed his way through another inning. Puig added to his night with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 6-0.
Alex Guerrero pinch-hit for Greinke with two outs and Rollins standing on first base and was unable to extend the inning. Greinke’s scoreless innings streak sat at 35.2, which ranks fourth-best in Los Angeles franchise history. Joel Peralta entered in the ninth and recorded the final three outs in the Dodgers’ shutout victory that also gave them a series win in the four-game set.
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