Column: The skinny on pitcher Kenta Maeda: The Dodgers just might have made a good call in signing him

As Kenta Maeda reflected on pitching Tuesday in the Dodgers’ home-opener defeat to the Arizona Diamondbacks, he sounded as if he didn’t know what to make of everything.

He’s still feeling out his catcher, as well as opposing hitters. The same with Los Angeles traffic. As for how his 6-foot, 150-pound frame will respond to a grueling 162-game schedule, the 28-year-old right-hander from Japan can only guess.

Maeda doesn’t know how his first major league season will unfold. The Dodgers don’t, either.

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But there’s a reason to think this $45-million gamble might work out for the Dodgers, and not only because he’s pitched six scoreless innings in each of his two starts.

He wants more.

That was evident in his postgame news conference, as he spoke more about what he didn’t do than what he did.

“From here on, I’d like to manage my pitch count better and be able to stay in games longer,” Maeda said in Japanese.

He encountered some early trouble Tuesday, which is why his pitch count was at 95 by the end of the sixth inning.

The Dodgers could use another inning or two from Maeda every time he takes the mound, if only to avoid placing the game in the hands of their combustible bullpen.

Clayton Kershaw is expected to pitch 200 innings for the sixth time. Maeda’s goal is to be there with him.

His primary motivation is the pessimistic medical diagnosis he received when he underwent a physical examination as a free agent this winter. The uncertainty over his health resulted in his settling for a relatively modest contract, which is guaranteed for $25 million over eight years.

That competitive streak was apparent against Arizona when Maeda served up a second-inning double to Jake Lamb that placed runners on second and third with no outs. Maeda struck out Yasmany Tomas, then got Patrick Corbin and Nick Ahmed to ground out.

“He never loses his poise,” pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said. “I think you almost see the best of him when he’s in trouble. That shows how competitive he is and how he’s able to execute when he has to.”

Maeda was also confident enough to shake off catcher A.J. Ellis on a couple of occasions.

But he was also saved by his defense, particularly in the sixth inning, when Lamb doubled off the bullpen gate in right field with two outs. Yasiel Puig delivered a perfect throw to Justin Turner, who relayed the ball to the plate before Welington Castillo could score from first.

“Today, I was helped by my defense a lot,” Maeda said. “I don’t think my pitches were that sharp. . . . “I think it will be a plus for me that I was able to hold the opponent scoreless on a bad day.”

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Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke returns to Dodger Stadium and speaks with the media.

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Zack Greinke, who left the Dodgers for the Diamondbacks in the off-season, is known to play make-believe general manager. So if Greinke were running the Dodgers, would he have re-signed himself?

“I don’t know,” Greinke said. “There’s a lot that goes into it. It’s not like it’s just some small sign. Any time you’re going to have to make as big a move as it was, it can change the outcome of your whole organization. So you have to weigh a lot of different things.”

Is that a no? Greinke wouldn’t say.

“Maybe,” he said. “There’s so much that goes into it that it’s not just one person’s decision, too. If I was the GM of the Dodgers, it’s not just my decision, a move that’s that big.”

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Now that Greinke is with the Diamondbacks, he said he no longer spends his winters in Los Angeles. “The taxes are too high out here,” he explained.

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Corey Seager is a quick study.

Remember when Seager didn’t cover third base after the Dodgers infield was shifted in the playoffs last year and it cost the team a critical run?

Don’t expect him to make the same mistake again.

The Dodgers were in another shift Tuesday in the first inning with Maeda pitched to the left-handed-hitting David Peralta. With third baseman Turner stationed in shallow right field, Maeda uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Jean Segura to advance from first base to second. Segura had no chance to take third, though, because Seager rushed over to cover the base.

Follow Dylan Hernandez on Twitter @dylanohernandez