Greinke strikes out 6 in Dodgers' 11-3 win over Rangers Associated Press SAN ANTONIO — Zack Greinke turned in his best work of the spring Saturday, tossing four shutout innings and six strikeouts as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Texas Rangers 11-3 to complete a split-squad two-game sweep. Greinke struck out the side of Leonys Martin, Elvis Andrus and Ryan Ludwick in the first. Andrus had been the Rangers' hottest hitter, reaching base safely in five of his last six plate appearances. Martin and Andrus were a combined 5-for-6 on Friday against the Dodgers, but went 0-for-3 against Greinke in the spacious Alamodome. "It's a big stadium, so you have that feel that it's closer to a real game," said Greinke, who also gave up three hits in his third spring training appearance. "A big crowd, and you had your away routine where you wake up in your hotel and take the bus out to the game, which you really don't do for spring training." Andrus said Greinke was tough to face." He controlled every breaking pitch," Andrus said. "It looks like he has about 20 different pitches." The Dodgers got a pair of home runs from Adrian Gonzalez, his first of the spring. Kike Hernandez led off the game with a homer off Anthony Ranaudo, and Justin Thomas sent one out in the third. He has hit safely in 10 straight games and has a .469 batting average this spring. Besides the four innings of work on the mound, Greinke showed two other parts of his game — hitting and fielding. The Dodgers did not use the designated hitter. Greinke struck out swinging at Ranaudo's high fastball in the second, leaving a man on first, and sent Andrus sprawling on a nice fielding play for the out to lead off the fourth. "I was trying to get comfortable out there, like it was the regular season," said Greinke, a .219 hitter with 224 career at-bats and 49 hits. In the field to start the second inning, Greinke, a first-time Gold Glove winner last year, grabbed Joey Gallo's dribbler in front of the mound and tossed to Gonzalez for the out at first.
Isn't there something similar with Joc? They send him down for two weeks and they get another year of control?
Joc was already up last year so it started his "clock" already. I believe it's different but not sure
What TF do all these up and down BS moves serve as, Chris? Some kind of stopgap measure or unfair maneuvering thing? I must admit, I haven't the foggiest of why it all exists... Nine days down ensires another year of control? Damn...
it is because of the team control issue. it would ensure that a poor, small market team like the Chicago Cubs..oh wait
I read somewhere that Joc needs to start the season in the minors for 11 games to get the extra year of control. Curious to see how the team manages this.
Pretty much unfair maneuvering. It's smart for the teams to do it but still a kinda fucked thing. Basically because of the CBA, there's certain guidelines of how many years of control you get over a player based on when they're called up. You can delay calling a player up and if they start the year out past a certain date, you're getting another year of them controlled believe they can leave via free agency.
