Hey, bachelor extraordinaire George Clooney got married. The Supreme Court ruled for same-sex marriage. Taylor Swift beat down Apple. Zack Greinke won a game.
Maybe there really is no end to the unexpected.
It wasn’t that the Dodgers suddenly provided their star right-hander a superfluous amount of runs, but they did manage a couple. Then they let Greinke do what he’s doing as well as any pitcher in baseball right now – throw zeroes.
Greinke started the season 5-0 and then went 10 consecutive starts (with a 1.79 earned-run average) before finally winning his sixth, absolutely controlling Miami in a 2-0 victory Sunday at Marlins Park.
And tomorrow the sun will rise in the West.
Greinke held the Marlins scoreless for his 7 2/3 innings and has not allowed a run in his last three starts (20 2/3 innings). The difference in this start was he actually won.
In his previous nine starts the Dodgers scored only 10 runs while he was actually on the mound. Only once in those nine starts had he allowed more than two runs, yet all he had to show for it was an 0-2 record.
Sunday started to look pretty familiar -- the Dodgers were unable to push a run across against Miami right-hander Jose Urena (1-4) through the first four innings. When they finally did, it was pretty much a gift.
Jimmy Rollins opened the fifth with a single. Greinke put down a nice sacrifice bunt, but Urena was called for an iffy balk. So Greinke put down another nice sac bunt, only this time it advanced Rollins to third.
That became key when Howie Kendrick hit what should have been an inning-ending double play to second baseman Dee Gordon. Only shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria’s relay was way off the mark and Kendrick was safe at first as Rollins scored.
The Dodgers gave Greinke an insurance run in the seventh, scoring with two outs off left-hander Mike Dunn when Kendrick walked and then came home on an Adrian Gonzalez double.
It was a regular glut of runs for Greinke.
Greinke (6-2) allowed only four hits, walking one and striking out six. He was in total control of all his pitches in lowering his ERA to 1.58 – the lowest mark in the majors.
He was supported in the sixth by an outstanding, diving catch by Andre Ethier on a Gordon drive into left field that likely would have gone for a triple, or with Gordon’s speed, even an inside-the-park home run.
Adam Liberatore got one out in the eighth and Kenley Jansen completed the shutout with a scoreless ninth for his 11th save, although he allowed a leadoff double to Christian Yellich. Jansen then struck out two and got Derek Detrich to pop out.
The Dodgers have 11 shutouts this season, second in the majors to the San Francisco Giants. The bullpen has thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings.