NewsGreinke doesn't expect Halos to be easy
Kansas City (51-83) vs. Los Angeles (79-54), 6:10 p.m. CT
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
09/05/09 12:14 AM ET
KANSAS CITY -- What can Zack Greinke do as an encore after pitching a 15-strikeout game followed by a one-hitter? How about throwing a no-hitter with 20 strikeouts against the Angels?Greinke gave a small grin.
"I won't. The team's too good to do that to; they don't strike out and they're all .300 hitters," he said.
Well, maybe not all of them but most are pretty doggone close. And Greinke pointed out that Angels hitters like Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter are healthy again. When he bamboozled the Mariners on one hit in his last start, Seattle was missing, among others, Ichiro Suzuki.
"Seattle's team had a bunch of injuries, facing a bunch of guys I didn't even know how to pitch to and it just worked out good," Greinke said. "This team's too good for that to happen and I'm just hoping to throw sort of deep in the game and keep us in the game as long as possible. But it's a tough lineup for any pitcher."
Greinke is matched against a pretty accomplished pitcher in John Lackey.
"I've faced some bad pitchers this year that have done good and I've faced some good pitchers that have done bad, so you can never really predict that," Greinke said.
"But their lineup is tough, especially now that everybody's healthy and that makes it even tougher. They've got a really good team and I think their team is put together as good as it gets -- their pitching staff, their defense, their hitting, their manager. It's just a really good all-around team. There's not a weakness on it."
Greinke set a club record with 15 strikeouts against the Indians on Aug. 25. Then came the one-hitter in which he retired the last 22 Mariners in the game.
The testimony from the Mariners was certainly laudatory.
"He was changing his speeds, throwing his fastball from 91 to 96 [mph] and throwing his curveball from 66 to 80 and then his slider was 83 to 89," said former teammate Mike Sweeney. "He definitely changed speeds and was doing it at a consistent level."
Mariners outfielder Bill Hall observed: "Obviously, he's right up there with [Tim] Lincecum and [Chris] Carpenter. When they have control of their offspeed [pitches] and throw as hard as they do, they're going to be hard to hit. He's in the same category as those guys."
And manager Don Wakamatsu added, "You look up on the board in the last inning, on his 113th pitch it's 96 miles per hour. And he complements it with a 65-66 mph curveball with command. It's one of those days you tip your cap to that kid because he was awfully, awfully impressive."
The Angels got a good look at the 2009 version of Greinke on May 9 at Anaheim, where he held them to one run on four hits in a complete game -- and somehow lost, 1-0.
Pitching matchupKC: RHP Zack Greinke (13-8, 2.32 ERA)
From a 15-strikeout victory over the Indians, Greinke went to a one-hit, 3-0 win over the Mariners last Sunday. This time he struck out a mere five and walked only one, giving up only a second-inning single to Kenji Johjima. As usual, Greinke was on target and of his 114 pitches, 74 were strikes. Although the Royals are just 13-14 in the games Greinke has started, it hasn't been his fault. They've scored only 3.7 runs per start for him while he maintains the American League's best ERA. He also has six complete games and three shutouts in a Cy Young-worthy season. LAA: RHP John Lackey (9-7, 3.92 ERA)
Lackey was razor-sharp in a milestone win on Sunday at home against the Athletics, joining Nolan Ryan, Frank Tanana, Chuck Finley and Mike Witt as the only pitchers in franchise history with 100 or more victories. Lackey yielded an unearned run in the third inning and was on top of his game the rest of the way, giving up five hits and two walks across eight innings and striking out eight. Only Roy Halladay has a better ERA among AL pitchers since 2005 than Lackey, who owns a 3.50 ERA in that span. Lackey has struggled against the Royals, going 2-3 with a 3.64 ERA in seven career starts and is 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA in two Kauffman Stadium outings. Crown points
It's the annual Viva Los Royals celebration on Saturday at Kauffman Stadium, beginning at 4 p.m. CT in the Outfield Experience. The entertainment features Angelica Vale, the funk band WAR and the Kansas City group Las Estrellas. Rick Trevino will sing the national anthem. The event also features Hispanic food, drink and an appearance by Royals players. ... The 20,000 fans at Saturday night's 6:10 p.m. game will receive a Royals BBQ apron. ... Rev. Don Coleman of Lincoln, Neb., was in the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat on Friday night. He is the president and founder of the Lincoln chapter of M.A.D. DADS, a group that strives to reduce gang violence and illegal drugs. .... The Class A Burlington, Iowa, Bees clinched a Midwest League playoff berth with a 3-1 win over Clinton. Tony Pena Jr. contributed by pitching 2 2/3 innings of relief, allowing one run. ... John Alfaro's grand slam led Rookie Idaho Falls over Casper, 13-3. Tickets
Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.
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• KCSP 610 Up next
• Sunday: Royals (Luke Hochevar, 6-8, 5.74) vs. Angels (Joe Saunders, 11-7, 5.02), 1:10 p.m. CT
• Monday: Royals (Kyle Davies, 6-9, 5.71) vs. Angels (Ervin Santana, 7-7, 5.68), 1:10 p.m. CT
• Tuesday: Royals (Brian Bannister, 7-12, 4.73) vs. Tigers (TBD), 7:10 p.m. CT
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
