Zack Greinke finally secures second victory

Early this season the Royals’ lineup and bullpen robbed Zack Greinke of wins and then he began to earn the losses with some shaky starts recently, but the reigning Cy Young winner got back on track yesterday with a complete-game victory. He allowed three runs, including a pair of Joey Votto homers, but struck out 12, walked zero, and needed just 105 pitches to record 27 outs against the NL Central-leading Reds. The victory is Greinke’s first since May 13, during which time he was 0-4 with a 6.59 ERA. However, his 22/8 K/BB ratio in 27 innings was solid during that stretch and he certainly looked like his usual self Sunday. He won’t repeat last season’s 2.16 ERA, but should be able to settle into the 3.50 range soon enough. Unfortunately the Royals aren’t getting any better, so whether his ERA is 2.16, 3.50, or 6.59 wins will be tough to come by. With the win Kansas City improved to 42-51 when Greinke starts since 2007. During that time he has a 3.06 ERA in 589.1 innings.