Los Angeles Dodgers ace and Cy Young Award candidate Zack Greinke was a last-minute scratch from his scheduled start on Wednesday with a calf injury.
Greinke was supposed take his MLB-leading 1.65 ERA into a start against the Diamondbacks, but had been experiencing soreness in his right calf since his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates last week.
"He came into my office the day after his start," Dodgers' manager Don Mattingly said. "We were hoping it would resolve itself by today. We don't think it's very serious, but at this point we didn't want to take any chances with him."
Mattingly went on to say that Greinke is expected to make his next scheduled start in San Francisco next week.
With a six-game lead in the NL West division, it's not imperative that Greinke risk further injury by starting on Wednesday, but the calf soreness could become a major setback if Greinke is to secure the NL Cy Young Award this season.
Greinke is neck-and-neck with Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrietta who pitched a complete game shutout against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday for his 20th win of the season. Arrietta is 9-0 with a 0.48 ERA since August 1st. His season ERA is 1.88 second in the Big Leagues to Greinke. Additionally, Arrietta has a no-hitter on his resume and it was thrown against the Dodgers.
Greinke is not far behind Arrietta with a record of 18-3 with a 1.65 ERA. The 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner has been healthy all season, so the latest setback should not be a cause for concern.
Carlos Frias was named the starter in his place as the Dodgers try to snap a four-game losing streak at Chavez Ravine. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM.
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Dodger starter Zack Greinke will miss his start tonight with calf soreness. He is expected to take his next turn in the rotation. — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 23, 2015
