Zack Greinke was on the mound at Dodger Stadium for the first time since he signed a six-year, $206.5 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Labor Day start was Greinke’s second time facing the Los Angeles Dodgers this season.
He heard some boos when the Diamondbacks’ lineup was announced prior to first pitch. After Kenta Maeda worked around a leadoff single to throw a scoreless first inning, Greinke retired Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez following Corey Seager’s base hit.
The right-handers matched each other in the second inning, with each retiring the side in order. Greinke bookended the bottom of the second with strikeouts.
He was loudly booed when walking up for his at-bat in the third inning, which ended with Greinke being called out on strikes. Greinke nodded his head in agreement with home plate umpire Laz Diaz as he walked back to the dugout.
Greinke responded in the bottom of the third by striking out the side to keep the game locked in a scoreless tie. Seager lined a leadoff double to the short fence in right field in the bottom of the fourth.
Two batters later, Gonzalez pulled an up-and-in fastball down the right-field line to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. The home run was Gonzalez’s first of his career off Greinke. Maeda tossed a 1-2-3 fifth inning, giving him 15 consecutive batters retired.
The wheels then completely fell off for Greinke, much to the crowd’s delight. A crack of the bat from Joc Pederson was good for a 427-foot solo home run to center field. After a Maeda infield single and Chase Utley base hit, Seager took Greinke deep for a three-run homer.
The home run was the second of Seager’s career against his former teammate. The onslaught continued as Turner followed with a home run hit halfway up the pavilion in left field.
It marked the sixth time this season the Dodgers hit back-to-back home runs. Greinke was unable to make it out of the inning as Yasmani Grandal connected for his third homer in as many games. Silvino Bracho replaced Greinke, who was showered with boos on his way off the field.
The Dodgers’ four home runs in a single inning matched a season high, while Greinke allowed five homers in a start for the first time in his career. Maeda’s streak of batters retired was snapped at 18 on a Chris Owings leadoff single in the seventh.
Paul Goldschmidt drew a one-out walk, and Jake Lamb got the Diamondbacks on the board with an RBI single. Maeda exited after throwing 102 pitches, responsible for runners on first and second, and with the Dodgers holding an 8-1 lead.
Louis Coleman retired the two batters faced to end the small threat. Jesse Chavez issued a leadoff walk in the eighth and later gave up an RBI double to Owings, which trimmed the Dodgers’ lead to 8-2.
Josh Reddick led off the bottom of the eighth with a double and Howie Kendrick followed with a walk. After Pederson’s slow roller advanced both runners, Reddick scored on an Enrique Burgos wild pitch.
Utley kept the inning alive with an RBI single to give Seager another opportunity at hitting for the cycle. Needing a triple, Seager rolled a grounder over to second base. Josh Ravin came on in the ninth and walked a batter before finishing the Dodgers’ 10-2 victory without issue.
The win extended the Dodgers’ lead over the San Francisco Giants to a season-high four games.
