Greinke, Dodgers bust out, overpower Phillies
PHILADELPHIA -- Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke had allowed five runs in the first inning all season before surrendering five to the Phillies in the first frame on Thursday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
He got the win anyway, aided by an impressive effort by the Dodgers' offense in a 10-8 victory. Greinke settled on the mound over his final five innings and helped his cause at the plate, going 3-for-3. He singled and scored a run in the second inning and slammed a solo home run against Phillies right-hander David Buchanan in the third.
Video: LAD@PHI: Statcast™ tracks Greinke's first shot of 2015
"Little different-style game than you would think with Zack pitching today," said manager Don Mattingly. "But our guys kept on going. After the first inning, Zack was pretty good. Showed what Zack's all about. He's not going to give in, say it's a bad day. He's going to keep pitching."
Video: LAD@PHI: Greinke fans eight over six innings
Despite four RBIs from Domonic Brown, it was the first series the Phillies have lost since the All-Star break.
"I don't know about you, but it's fun for me to watch these guys hit," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said about the Phillies, who scored 17 runs in the series. "They're playing as a team and they're putting hits together. It's nice to see. It's encouraging for us down the road."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
No shutdown: Of the Dodgers' six extra-base hits, the most crucial was Adrian Gonzalez's three-run homer in the second inning that answered Philadelphia's five-run first and gave Greinke a lead he was able to protect.
Video: LAD@PHI: Adrian slugs a three-run homer to right
"Today we came with a lot of big hits and kept adding on runs," said Mattingly. More >
Dom blast: Everybody has been waiting for Brown to show signs of life at the plate since he made the 2013 National League All-Star team. He showed some pop Thursday. Brown hit a three-run home run against Greinke in the first inning and singled to drive in a run in the third. He is hitting .367 (18-for-49) with one double, one triple, three home runs and 14 RBIs in his past 14 games.
"I don't know," said Brown, when asked if he feels this could be his last chance with Philadelphia. "I'm just playing, really. I haven't had time to sit down and think about it. I'm here every day making sure I'm ready to play. That's really it. No added pressure. It's baseball. If it doesn't work out here, I'll bust my butt so it will work out somewhere else." More >
Video: LAD@PHI: Brown singles to left to score Franco
E-Greinke: Defending NL Gold Glove Award winner Greinke had never committed more than one error in any season until he threw away Cesar Hernandez's tapper leading off the bottom of the first, which turned into a five-run avalanche.
"He's pretty prideful about his defense; he probably didn't like that," Mattingly said. "It is surprising, the last thing you would think." More >
Buchanan beaten: Buchanan (2-6, 7.23 ERA) allowed three runs in the first, but he stepped onto the mound with a two-run lead in the second. He could not hold it. Buchanan allowed three runs in the second and one run in the third to hand the Dodgers a 7-5 lead. He allowed 10 hits and seven runs in four innings. It was the second time in nine starts this season Buchanan allowed seven runs, and his fourth start allowing five-plus runs.
"Scoring that many runs off Greinke and not giving us a chance to win hurts," Buchanan said. "It's unfortunate, especially after what they did to pick me up in the first inning."
QUOTABLE
"Their top five in the order are up there with best top five we have to face, and you probably don't hear people say that. It's a tough top three." -- Greinke, on the Phillies' lineup
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Maikel Franco has posted an .842 OPS through his first 307 plate appearances this season. The last rookie third baseman to post an .842 OPS or higher with a minimum of 400 plate appearances was Evan Longoria (.874 OPS) in 2008. The last Phillies rookie third baseman to do it was Scott Rolen (.846) in 1997.
WHAT'S NEXT
Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw puts his scoreless innings streak of 37 on the line against the Pirates on Friday at 4:05 p.m. PT. Kershaw is 2-1 with a 2.39 career ERA against Pittsburgh.
Phillies: The Phillies open a nine-game road trip beginning Friday at 10:10 p.m. ET against the Padres at Petco Park. Rookie right-hander Aaron Nola makes his fourth start of the season for the Phillies. So far so good for Nola, who is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA.
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