The Recap (8/14/17) – D-backs 2, Astros 0: Greinke Dominates, Offense Doubles Down
Zack Greinke is the number one pitcher on the Diamondbacks for a reason, and tonight it proved why. He shut down the top offense in baseball. Not only that, but he also struck out the number one hitter in baseball — Jose Altuve — three times. Add this one to the list of impressive outings by Greinke this season.
The D-backs didn’t need much offense but they got it when it mattered most. With two outs in the 2nd inning, Daniel Descalso and Ketel Marte combined for back-to-back doubles to get the D-backs on the board.
In the bottom of the sixth inning the D-backs struck once more. This time it was Paul Goldschmidt with a one-out double, followed by J.D. Martinez’s hustle double to score the Diamondbacks second and final run of the game.
Stats that matter
- Greinke was rock-solid right when needed – 6.2 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 9 K
- Six: The number of doubles the Diamondbacks hit in the game out of eight total hits
- The D-backs finished the night 2-for-9 with RISP
Bottom line
It was a good win on a great effort by Greinke. You don’t want to look at negatives but the Diamondbacks must do better than 2-for-9 with RISP if they want to win on any other night that Greinke isn’t pitching. They have three more games against the Astros in this series and you can bet that Jose Altuve — after striking out three times — will be looking to get quickly back on track.
On deck
The final home game for the D-backs in this four game home-and-away series is on Tuesday afternoon at 12:40 pm MT. Rookie LHP Anthony Banda will be on the hill for the D-backs against RHP Brad Peacock.
