Talk about a rubber arm.
Milwaukee Brewers' Zack Greinke, today's starter against the Pittsburgh Pirates, will be first pitcher to start three consecutive games in the same season in almost 100 years.
The last pitcher to accomplish the feat -- Hall of Famer and Chicago White Sox pitcher Red Faber in 1917.
Now for the background.
Greinke started Saturday's game against the Houston Astors and was quickly ejected after four pitches for spiking a ball into the ground. He returned Sunday and was removed after just three innings, allowing three earned runs on 66 pitches. (Note: He avoided becoming the first starting pitcher to lose on consecutive days since Wilbur Wood of the Chicago White Sox in 1973.)
Then came the All-Star break and four-days rest.
So, it's seems fathomable to start three consecutive games, with a bit of luck of the schedule.
It's also a perfect way for the Brewers to showcase their impending free agent right-hander. With the July 31 trade deadline nearing, Greinke could be possible trade bait if the Brewers don't make a run in the next couple of weeks.
According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Brewers are not optimistic about re-signing the Greinke to a long-term extension before deadline.
"When players get this close [to free agency], there's not many that will sign, at that level," said general manager Doug Melvin. "He's a difference-maker to a team that's got a chance to go to the postseason. Unless you're raising the bar, you usually go on the market."
Now, as far as how Faber accomplished the feat, pitchers in that era had rubber arms.
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