Zack Greinke imagined what it would be like to face the Dodgers lineup these days.
“Right now, really tough,” Greinke said. “Earlier in the year, it would have been a lot easier.”
Even with Hanley Ramirez out of the lineup with a scheduled day off on Thursday, the middle of the order looked imposing. The Nos. 2 to 5 hitters in their 6-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies were Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.
“The big thing early on, we were having trouble when we had a guy on third or bases loaded with one out or no outs,” Greinke said. “We would get one run at the most. That’s kind of tough. Today is the exact opposite. We didn’t have a whole lot of guys on base, but when we did, we had some big at-bats. That’s how you win games.”
Who’s would be the toughest hitter in the lineup to face?
From a couple of lockers down, Ramirez called out, “Me.”
Greinke nodded.
“He’s probably right,” Greinke said. “I’d say him.”
Greinke, who was spared a loss by the Dodgers’ seventh-inning comeback, also had high praise for utilityman Nick Punto.
Earlier in the season, Greinke said Punto deserved consideration for the All-Star team. On Thursday night, he credited Punto for a second-inning play in which Phillies outfielder Delmon Young was picked off at second base. The Phillies were trailing, 3-1, at the time and had men on first and second with one out.
