Zack Greinke looks like a Cy Young winner in Dodgers’ 4-3 win

Races within races, not something typically discussed when it manifests on one team.

The Dodgers appear in firm control of the National League West, looking a little more so after their 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday at Chase Field.

It maintained their 7½ -game division lead over the Giants and reduced their magic number to 13 for clinching the West, with 20 regular-season games remaining. They continue to lead the Mets in the race for home-field advantage in the postseason by half a game.

But there are also other, individual, races taking final shape in September. And none may prove closer than the winner of the NL Cy Young award.

The leading candidate all season has been the Dodgers’ Zack Greinke, though he is being firmly pushed down the stretch by teammate Clayton Kershaw and the Cubs’ Jake Arrieta.

Greinke made another strong statement for his candidacy Sunday against the Diamondbacks, tossing another masterful game. He allowed only three hits in his eight innings, and made it look pretty easy.

He walked two and struck out eight, including MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt three times. The last strikeout against Goldschmidt came in the sixth with two outs and runners at second and third.

It took Greinke just 93 pitches and he could have gone for the shutout in the ninth, but Manager Don Mattingly elected to preserve him.

He had closer Kenley Jansen come on in attempt to complete the shutout in the non-save situation, which also tells you something about his trust in the rest of the bullpen. A struggling Jansen, however, surrendered a two-out, three-run homer to Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Jansen ended the Arizona rally by striking out Jake Lamb on his 33rd pitch.

The win raised Greinke’s record to 17-3, and lowered his ERA to 1.61 and WHIP to 0.85. His ERA easily leads all of baseball – Arrieta is second at 1.99 and Kershaw third at 2.15 -- as does his WHIP – Kershaw is second at 0.90 and Arrieta third at 0.92.

It was the 20^th time in his 29 starts this season he has allowed one of fewer runs.

The Dodgers supported him with single runs in the first, third, seventh and eighth innings.

Justin Ruggiano led off the game with a double off the wall and scored on a Justin Turner single.

Turner singled again with one out in the third and stole second. He went to third on an Adrian Gonzalez hit and scored on Scott Van Slyke’s groundout. In the seventh infielder Ronald Torreyes – just called up Sunday morning from triple-A – doubled with two outs and scored on a Gonzalez single.

Catcher A.J. Ellis continued his offensive rebirth with a solo home run in the eighth.

September sensation Corey Seager, who entered the game having reached base nine consecutive times, went hitless in four at-bats with a walk.