Greinke allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five without walking a batter over 3.2 innings versus the Guardians on Wednesday. He did not factor in the decision.
Greinke threw 57 pitches (42 strikes) this time after he was limited to 48 pitches versus the Astros last Friday. It appears the 39-year-old is being eased toward the end of the season, especially after missing time with an elbow injury in August. He hasn't gone more than 4.2 innings in any of his six appearances since his return, which essentially takes him out of the conversation for wins if he continues to start games. Greinke has a 5.37 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 90:20 K:BB through 132.1 innings over 28 appearances (25 starts) this season. He'll likely continue to work in tandem with Angel Zerpa, though with just nine games remaining on the Royals' schedule, Greinke may receive only one more outing.