Zack Greinke is on a special roll for the Dodgers

Maybe the numbers seem slightly arbitrary, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t impressive.

Zach Greinke is on some kind of roll and has been now for 16 regular season starts. He went six strong innings Friday night, holding the Diamondbacks to a Miguel Montero solo home run and two other hits.

In each of those 16 consecutive starts he has pitched at least five innings without giving up more than two runs. That’s the longest such streak since 1914, or as far back as the Dodgers can check.

That’s some impressive and consistent pitching. Impressive enough that even Greinke allowed himself to appreciate it.

“Definitely,” he said. “First off, I think it takes a lot of skill to do it, but you have to get a lot of breaks. I mean, I’ve had more than my share.

“But if you’re not pitching really good, you can’t do it. So that’s a nice accomplishment.”

Yeah, kind of. In four starts this season Greinke is 3-0 with a 2.42 earned-run average. Even after walking two Diamondbacks in the first inning Friday, he regrouped and held Arizona to just three hits.

“He was great,” said catcher Tim Federowicz. “A little rough the first inning, but he figured it out and was able to hit his spots like he always doeis. He can throw anything at any time at any spot. He’s great to catch.”

With ace Clayton Kershaw on the disabled list, Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu have given the Dodgers much needed stability in the rotation. It doesn’t hurt, of course, when you’re on a special roll.