Yes, I know it's just Spring Training. And yes, I know these games don't count for anything.
With that said, I'm guessing the Dodgers' brass was hoping for something a little better than what they got out of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke through two games.
Kershaw got the start on Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, and gave up three runs over two innings. Working mostly on locating his fastball, with some off-speed stuff mixed in, the big blows came in the first on an RBI double from Martin Prado, and in the second on an RBI triple from A.J. Pollack, followed by a run-scoring single by Aaron Hill.
What should be pointed out is that Carl Crawford had just as much to do with Kershaw's bad day as anyone else. The "triple" by Pollack was actually a liner that Crawford came in on, then watched it sail over his head. How in the world that was ruled a hit I have no clue. That would have been the final out, so really only one of those runs was earned.
Still, the Dodgers had to feel good about sending Ace 1A in Greinke to the mound today... then watched him exit after four pitches. That's right - four whole pitches. The reason was a strained right calf, which was described as mild at best. Of course, it's all about protecting the players this early in the season, so taking extreme caution is the right route to go.
Greinke recently made waves by saying he has "absolutely zero excitement" about the upcoming Australia trip, but tried to backtrack on that today. Whether he wants to pitch there or not might not matter anymore, as I can see the Dodgers letting Kershaw and maybe Hyun-Jin Ryu or Dan Haren pitch instead. It's possible Greinke wakes up Friday morning, feels great, and is good to go for the second game Down Under, so we'll have to wait and see.
On a side note, the Dodgers are 1-1 in the early going.
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