D-backs fall flat against Greinke in opener

PHOENIX -- The jerseys were the same, but the Dodgers team the D-backs saw on Monday night at Chase Field had a much different look than the one they had dominated to this point in the season.

The Dodgers came into Chase Field riding a hot streak filled with confidence and some swagger and blew past the D-backs, 6-1.

The question on everyone's mind coming into the game was whether the two teams would once again turn the field into a boxing ring after their fracas June 11 at Dodger Stadium.

The only hits, though, came off the visiting team's bats as they pounded out 17 -- matching their season high.

"You have to tip your cap to them," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said. "They played well in all phases of the game. They beat us up."

Arizona had won seven of nine games against the Dodgers coming into this series, but since they last played, the Dodgers have gotten some players back from the disabled list and have suddenly become a much more formidable opponent.

The Dodgers have won 13 of their last 16 games and have gone from 9 1/2 games behind the D-backs to just 3 1/2.

The D-backs were coming off a three-game sweep of the Rockies and had won five straight, but they ran into a buzz saw in the form of Zack Greinke, who tossed seven scoreless innings and allowed just two hits.

"I usually do terrible against the Diamondbacks and pitch really bad here," said Greinke, who beat Arizona for the first time and brought an 8.71 Chase Field ERA into this game.

Greinke, who was part of the fireworks when the two teams clashed, was in command from the beginning. He held the D-backs hitless through the first three innings before Paul Goldschmidt hit one back up the middle for a single to start the fourth.

"Greinke was just really good tonight," Gibson said. "He had everything working. That was as dominant as we've seen him in a while. He had a good two-seamer, cutter, slider, curveball and changeup. What else do you need? He made good quality pitches tonight. Just in control. We didn't have many chances and when we did, he pitched out of it."

Arizona starter Randall Delgado matched Greinke through three innings before the Dodgers broke through in the fourth with Juan Uribe's two-out RBI single.

Delgado allowed three runs on 11 hits over six innings.

"I did my best tonight," Delgado said. "They had a good night tonight and they did what they had to do."

As if his pitching weren't enough, Greinke helped himself out when he led off the fifth with a single to left. He would later score on Adrian Gonzalez's single to right.

The Dodgers extended their lead to 3-0 later in the inning when Hanley Ramirez singled home Yasiel Puig.

Greinke collected a career-high three hits and a sacrifice bunt in four plate appearances.

"He throws hard and he throws that hard slider that's hard to pick up until it's too late," Jason Kubel said. "Location is big for him and he had that going. That's why he won a Cy Young. He hits his spots, he's got great stuff, obviously, and he swung the bat well too."

Greinke admitted that there might have been some added motivation given the bad blood between the two teams, but there was more to it than that.

"I might want to win a little more," he said. "But that's also because they're in first place. It's a big game because of that.

The Dodgers added some insurance in the seventh thanks to an RBI double from Andre Ethier and a run-scoring single by A.J. Ellis to go up, 5-0.

The D-backs, meanwhile were unable to get on the board until Goldschmidt beat out an infield hit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and came around to score on Eric Chavez's double.