Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Greinke is 34 years old. He is throwing his fastball slower than ever. He has had stretches this season when his slider, which last year was perhaps his best secondary pitch, has not been reliable.
And yet he’ll take the ball on Sunday afternoon against the Padres having won six of his past seven starts. He has given up just two runs in his past three. He has posted a 2.82 ERA since late April. Greinke is no longer in the conversation for the best pitcher in baseball, but he is again finding ways to adapt, adjust and survive – if not thrive.