Dodgers’ Zack Greinke gets back on the mound

PHOENIX -- Zack Greinke threw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since leaving a spring training start last week with a strain in his right calf.

Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly downplayed the workout, calling it a “light session” and a “mini-pen.” Right-hander Greinke is expected to throw another bullpen session Thursday.

But despite the slight setback, Mattingly said Greinke seems much more comfortable this spring, his second since signing a six-year, $147-million free-agent contract with the Dodgers.

“He knows how to get around. He’s more comfortable with our guys. He’s probably more comfortable with what’s going to happen in L.A.,” Mattingly said of Greinke, who was 15-4 with a 2.63 earned-run average last season. “Every city we go to, it’s going to be a place he’s been before. And he’s been through the competition as much as anything.

“Coming back this year I’m sure he’s feeling confident -- knowing that it’s not easy but knowing that he’s capable.”