http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/st...s-greinke.html
Blue Jays a tough assignment for untouchable Greinke
Royals' emerging ace has 1-3 record, 5.12 ERA in 7 career games versusToronto
CBC Sports
Royals right-hander Zack Greinke has not allowed an earned run in 29 innings this season and 43 overall dating back to the 2008 campaign. (Charlie Riedel/Associated Press)
For a chance to extend their franchise-best series win streak to seven, the Blue Jays probably will have to rough up the hottest pitcher in Major League Baseball.
"'The Best Pitcher in Baseball,'" according to Sports Illustrated, Kansas City Royals right-hander Zack Greinke has a run of his own going, having not allowed an earned run in 29 innings this season and 43 overall dating back to the 2008 campaign.
"I'm not really doing anything special, mainly just getting lucky early on [in games]," Greinke, who starts Tuesday night against Toronto at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, told reporters on Tuesday.
"Even when you're pitching pretty good, teams find a way to score a run here and there. I'm mainly just getting some breaks."
The modest Greinke has pitched back-to-back complete games with 10 strikeouts, giving him 36 on the young season, and has victories in each of his four starts.
Having not allowed an earned run in his past six outings — a streak that ties Greinke with the retired Orel Hershiser and Don Drysdale for the longest streak in baseball history — the 25-year-old will be bidding for his American League-leading fifth win Wednesday, starting at 8:10 p.m. ET.
Sets down 15 Tigers in a row
Last Friday, Greinke used all four of his pitches — fastball, curveball, change-up and slider — to retire the last 15 Detroit Tigers he faced in a 6-1 victory.
"I've never played behind a pitcher in the minor leagues, major leagues, even Little League, who's done what he's doing," said Royals centre-fielder Coco Crisp of Greinke, who leads the AL in wins, complete games (two), strikeouts and earned-run average.
"Maybe Roger Clemens in his day, Nolan Ryan in his day or Randy Johnson in his day," added Kansas City hitting coach and former Royals third baseman Kevin Seitzer.
Heady praise for a guy who gave up 29 earned runs in 28 1/3 innings at spring training and missed the 2006 season as he battled depression and social anxiety disorder.
Nowadays, Greinke, who signed a four-year contract extension worth $38 million US prior to spring training, can be seen smiling in the clubhouse while 15 reporters and cameramen gather around his stall.
"The thing that helps him [on the mound] is the second gear that he has in being able to reach back against difficult hitters in tough situations," said Kansas City manager Trey Hillman.
Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera, a career .310 hitter who's batting .378 this season, struck out twice against Greinke last Friday — once on a 96-mile-an-hour fastball, and once on an 87-mph slider that broke eight inches.
Struggles against Blue Jays
But the native of Orlando, Fla., hasn't had the same degree of success against the Blue Jays, going 1-3 with a 5.12 ERA in seven games.
First baseman Lyle Overbay, who has one hit in 14 at-bats in the first five games of the team's seven-game road trip, has owned Greinke with a .500 average, with all five hits coming in the past six times he has faced the pitcher.
The AL East-leading Blue Jays (15-7) have scored 133 runs, the most in the majors, and top the AL with a .293 batting average, 234 hits and 381 total bases.
Centre-fielder Vernon Wells had three hits with three runs batted in Tuesday night in a 8-1 triumph to tie the four-game series at 1-1. Second baseman Aaron Hill added three hits and drove in two runs for Toronto, which has yet to lose a series this season.
Converted relief pitcher Brian Tallet (1-0, 2.95) gets the call Wednesday, making his third straight start for the Blue Jays in place of the injured Jesse Litsch (elbow).
The left-hander allowed four hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings of a 14-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday for his first victory as a starter since 2002.
Tallet has allowed one earned run and eight hits in 11 innings over his two starts.
Tallet has allowed three runs in six relief appearances versus Kansas City, but will face the Royals as a starter for the first time.