SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- D-backs ace Zack Greinke faced hitters for the first time Friday as he threw about 20 pitches in a live batting practice session.
"I felt OK," Greinke said. "Everything was coming out of my fingers pretty good. It was pretty sharp. Command was OK. Everything was OK. Maybe I could have thrown a couple more, but no one wants to push it too fast this early. There's not too much of a need. Maybe it was a good amount."
The D-backs have taken things slowly with Greinke this spring, but maintain that they are going at the pace he wants and not because of some injury that they have not reported.
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Greinke will throw at least one more live session before being scheduled for Cactus League action.
"Maybe when I start feeling I'll be able to get guys out and not be really bad out there," Greinke said when asked when he would get into a game. "Today I don't think I'd be ready to get guys out in a game, yet. Definitely a step closer now. It's definitely moving forward. I'm in a pretty good place right now. If things go smoothly, we'll easily be ready for the season. Even if there's a setback -- not a setback -- but just not executing stuff. Something usually goes not perfect in camp, and even if that happens I should still be ready. You can't ask for much more than that."
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo, who watched the session from behind the batting cage, was pleased with what he saw.
"Stuff-wise I'm sure he wouldn't think it was that perfect, but to me it looked really good," Lovullo said. "Fastball command looked like it was perfect, repeating his delivery, good tempo. I thought it was a pretty good first time for him facing live hitters."