Diamondbacks-Giants preview
SAN FRANCISCO -- Zack Greinke will seek to duplicate recent history wearing different colors when he faces the San Francisco Giants for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the opener of a two-game series Tuesday night.
Almost exactly one year ago, Greinke pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Giants in a critical game in the National League West race on Sept. 1, 2015.
Greinke limited the Giants to one run in 7 1/3 innings that night, pitching the Dodgers to a 2-1 lead that extended their advantage over San Francisco in the West to 5 1/2 games.
Los Angeles went on to win the division by eight games.
Greinke beat San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner in that back-breaking game for the Giants, who find themselves in a similar race with the Dodgers this season.
Only this time, the Giants begin play on the second-to-last day of August with just a 1 1/2-game deficit, and Greinke will be pitching for the last-place Diamondbacks, not the Dodgers.
No matter the employer, Greinke has been tough on the Giants. He's 8-1 lifetime against San Francisco with a 2.41 ERA in 12 starts.
His only loss came earlier this season, when he was opposed by the same guy he'll pitch against Tuesday, Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto.
The first-year Giant got the better of the first-year Diamondback 4-2 on May 12 in Arizona.
Cueto has dominated the Diamondbacks almost to the same extent as Greinke has owned the Giants. He's 8-2 with a 2.93 ERA in 11 career starts against Arizona.
Two of those wins came earlier this season, while Cueto was building a 14-4 overall record.
He'll take the third-most wins in the NL to the mound with him Tuesday, although he's won just once in eight starts since July 6.
Cueto will be facing a Diamondbacks team that has alternated wins and losses in their last 10 games, facing three other NL non-contenders -- the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds.
Arizona's last outcome was a win, as center fielder A.J. Pollock completed his comeback from an elbow injury with his first three hits of the season.
"It's weird," Pollock admitted after the 11-2 win over Cincinnati. "I never really think about hits. But when you have no hits, it's nice to get that first one."
Like Cueto, Greinke hasn't been on top of his game since returning from an oblique injury on Aug. 9. He's been tagged for 18 earned runs in 20 2/3 innings this month, a 7.84 ERA in August that's nearly five times his 1.63 ERA in June before the injury.
Greinke has never lost at AT&T Park in San Francisco. He improved his career mark there to 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA in five starts with a 2-1 win over Bumgarner on April 20 earlier this season.
The Giants are coming off a series win against the Braves to open a five-game homestand. They won 13-4 Sunday to take two of three.
"It's great to take any series," Giants manager Bruce Bochy assured after Sunday's win. "Hopefully we can come back and carry this the rest of the way."
