Zack Greinke lowers league-leading ERA with eight inning shutout
Take a look around the league with Big League Stew’s daily wrap up. We’ll hit on all of the biggest moments from the day that you may have missed, while providing highlights, photos and interesting stats.
Washington Nationals starter Max Scherzer may have taken the early headlines in the National League, but it’s time to recognize how awesome Los Angeles Dodgers ace Zack Greinke has been this season. Greinke showed off his skills once again during a 6-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.
Greinke was, once again, phenomenal. Over eight innings, he allowed just one hit. Greinke struck out eight, and did not issue a walk during the contest.
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With the performance, Greinke now has a 1.39 ERA on the year. That’s easily the lowest figure in the majors.
Greinke’s been on one heck of a roll lately. Thursday’s start was the fifth straight in which Greinke has not allowed a run.
That’s beyond impressive. To add to his string of excellence, Greinke’s 1.39 ERA is the fourth-lowest since World War II, according to Jon Weisman of Dodger Insider.
Greinke is a legitimate candidate to start the All-Star Game due to his insane numbers. While he admits his family would be pretty excited, he said he doesn’t really care about the honor.
While people probably don’t remember which pitchers have started All-Star Games, it’s still a pretty cool accomplishment.
With the win, Greinke improved the Dodgers to 49-38 on the year.
MARINERS EXPLODE AT THE PLATE
The Seattle Mariners offense has been a bit lackluster this season, but they got their act together Thursday night. Seattle picked up 19 hits in a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
The 19 hits was easily a season-high for Seattle. In fact, it was the first time in a few years the team reached those heights.
Every single Mariner who got into the game came away with the hit. That includes all nine starters and Franklin Gutierrez, who initially came in as a pinch runner in the sixth inning. He got a hit in his only at-bat of the game.
The Angels actually threatened a bit in the ninth inning, loading the bases with one out, but the deficit proved to be too much. The team came away with just one run during the frame, losing 7-2.
With the win, Seattle improved to 40-46 on the season.
CARLOS MARTINEZ MAKES HIS BID
With just a day remaining in the All-Star Final Vote, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez made his bid for the team. Martinez was excellent during a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.
Martinez tossed 7 1/3 scoreless frames, allowing just four hits. He walked two and struck out eight during the outing.
With the performance, Martinez has now thrown 11 straight quality starts. The 23-year-old now has a 2.52 ERA on the season.
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Martinez’s outing drew some kind words from Andrew McCutchen, according to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“He was basically playing RBI Baseball out there, it seemed like,” McCutchen said.
Any time a player is described as having video game type stuff, that’s a good thing. When it comes from one of the best players in the league, well, that’s even better.
With the win, the Cardinals improved to 56-30 on the year.
SAMARDZIJA SHUTS DOWN JAYS
Chicago White Sox starter Jeff Samardzija hasn’t lived up to expectations with his new club just yet. If Thursday was any indication, he may be on his way to a nice second half. Samardzija was fantastic during a 2-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
On Shark Week, Samardzija shut down one of the most potent offenses in the game. He allowed just four hits over nine scoreless innings. Samardzija struck out five and walked one during the outing.
Interesting enough, Samardzija hasn’t always been dominant during Shark Week.
Samardzija has pitched much better as of late, prompting speculation that he’ll be a useful chip on the trade market. With the performance, he lowered his ERA to 4.02 on the season.
Want to see more from Thursday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
