Greinke is Players Choice as NL's top pitcher

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Zack Greinke beat out teammate Clayton Kershaw and Jake Arrieta of the Cubs to win the 2015 Players Choice Award for National League Outstanding Pitcher on Monday night.

Greinke won the award in 2009, for the American League, with Kansas City. Kershaw won the same award in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Greinke also was a finalist for the 2015 Player of the Year Award, which went to Toronto's Josh Donaldson.

In addition, he is in the running for an Esurance MLB Award, and will learn the results on Nov. 20.

The awards are voted by the players in balloting conducted in September and have been presented since 1992.

Greinke, also the Dodgers' Roy Campanella Award winner, posted the Majors' lowest ERA, at 1.66, the lowest by any big league pitcher since Greg Maddux recorded a 1.63 ERA in 1995 with Atlanta. Greinke also topped the Majors in winning percentage (.865) and WHIP (0.84).

Greinke also topped the Majors in winning percentage (.864) and quality starts (30) while ranking among the big league leaders in opponents' batting average (second, .187) and innings pitched (fifth, 222) in 32 starts.

After becoming the first Dodgers pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Brad Penny in 2006, Greinke went 11-1 after the break en route to a career-high 19 wins. He tied a Major League record, also held by Orel Hershiser and Don Drysdale, with six consecutive scoreless starts between June 18 and July 19; his streak of scoreless innings ended on July 26 at 45 2/3, the fourth-longest streak in the Expansion Era (since 1961).

Greinke made 11 scoreless starts and allowed one run or fewer in 21 outings, he pitched at least six innings in each of his 32 starts and he was unbeaten during an 11-start stretch from June 18 to Aug. 16, going 8-0 with a 1.16 ERA.

"I always make adjustments to the lineup," Greinke said on MLB Network. "But I think Kershaw showed this to me the best. If you have something going good ... He does, and doesn't mess with them too much, and everybody sees how that works for him. I try not to think too much, and if you have a good pitch, use the good pitch, and you don't have to fool people that much."