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Kenta Maeda had one of his finest outings of the season, pitching scoreless ball into the seventh inning, out-dueling Zack Greinke in a win over the Diamondbacks on Monday night at Dodger Stadium.
Maeda allowed a single to left field to Jean Segura to open the first inning, then retired the next 18 batters in a row.
He struck out eight for the sixth time all season, and for the year has 156 strikeouts in his 153 innings.
“Kenta threw the ball great,” manager Dave Roberts said, as seen on SportsNet LA. “You could see those guys’ approach, they were sitting soft. He was effective with his fastball, locating it inside and outside and keeping those guys guessing. It made his slider that much more effective.”
Maeda's 8 K's vs #Dbacks have come in all varieties: 2 fastball, 1 curve, 3 slider, 2 changeup. #Dodgers
— Inside Edge (@InsideEdgeScout) September 6, 2016
Arizona got to Maeda with two hits and a walk in the seventh inning for a run, but that was all he would allow. It was the 14th time in 27 starts that Maeda has lasted six innings this season, and the Dodgers are 10-4 in those games.
It was the ninth time Maeda recorded at least one out in the seventh inning. The Dodgers are 7-2 in those games.
Maeda has a 3.29 ERA, 3.58 FIP and 3.70 xFIP in 27 starts this season, with 156 strikeouts and 41 walks in 153 innings.
Zack Greinke, who took the loss on Monday, has a 4.54 ERA, 4.00 FIP, and 3.83 xFIP in 23 starts for Arizona, with 120 strikeouts and 29 walks in 140⅔ innings.
Raise your hand if you expected that.
Maeda has a 3.18 ERA in five starts against Arizona this season, with 28 strikeouts and four walks in 28⅓ innings.
Bonus time
With his 6⅓ innings, Maeda reached 153 innings on the season. By surpassing 150 innings on Monday, Maeda earned a $250,000 bonus. To date this season, in addition to his $1 million signing bonus and $3 million in base salary, Maeda has earned an additional $5.4 million in performance bonuses. His next bonus is another $250,000 for reaching 160 innings.
Up next
The Dodgers send Ross Stripling to the mound in the middle game of the series, a 7:10 p.m. PT start. Shelby Miller starts for Arizona.