Greinke: Tale of Two Cities in 2016

While on the road this season veteran pitcher, Zack Greinke has been masterful. He has not given up more than two runs in any of his four outings when away from Chase Field. As opposed to his 6 starts at home where he has given up a combined 25 runs all of which have been earned.

In the beginning of the season it seemed as though Greinke may have been a victim of Big Contract-itis. This is a common disease among pitchers who under-perform after signing a large contract.Many pitchers including Cole Hamels have been victims of this illness in the past.

After posting dominant numbers yet again, Hamels signed a $144 million deal in 2012 and Phillies Phanatics came into the 2013 season with high hopes. But Hamels’ Phillies lost 11 out of his first 12 starts and his ERA ballooned as high as 10.97. His display early in the year was eerily similar to Greinke’s, as he pitched much better on the road than he did at home. I

t is believed that most pitchers suffer from it because after they sign a big contract, they have proven that they are the best and gotten the money. There isn’t much left to work for because the money is guaranteed.

There is no known cure for Big Contract-itis but signs of recovery a could be on the horizon for the Diamondback pitcher. In May he has only given up 10 runs and kept his ERA at a respectable 3.33 for the month. Greinke is coming off one of his better starts at Chase Field where he kept the Yankees in check giving up three runs over seven innings while notching the victory.

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The only thing that is noticeably correlated between how well the veteran throws is whether or not Greinke walks multiple batters. Greinke doesn’t give up many free bases, only allowing 13 this season finding himself near the top of the league in that category. In games this season where Greinke has walked two or more batters the Diamondbacks have lost all three match-ups. When walking one or less the Diamondbacks fare much better as they are 6-1 on the season.

Only a few teams have played the D-backs multiple times this season at their own home stadium and at Chase Field. Greinke has toed the rubber against two of those teams, the Giants and the Cardinals. Both times he posted drastically different numbers when on the road compared to when tossing in the desert.

In his first match against his inter division rival the Giants he gave up 6 hits and one run while striking out seven as the winds off McCovey Cove favored him on that April night. But when they came to Chase Field the outcome was much different. Greinke allowed four runs walked three and gave up eight hits. The numbers against the Cardinals mirror that of the Giants.

Greinke first faced them in late April and seven earned runs were scratched against him while a season high 11 hits were slapped off of him. When he faced them a second time in St. Louis he dominated. Eight innings, five hits, seven strikeouts and one earned run were the outcome.

The location has clearly been a difference maker for Greinke but for the Diamondbacks they have to hope that isn’t the case come Saturday when he faces the Padres for a second time this season. He can make big strides in improving his home record and ERA if he dominates them like he did in his last start in Downtown San Diego.

Next: Diamondbacks Swept by Pirates

This start may be a big tell in whether or not he will find a niche in the desert or continue to prove that Chase Field is not a pitcher friendly ball park.

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