SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke threw four innings in a minor league game Wednesday without any trouble in his tender right elbow.
If there aren't any setbacks, Greinke would start April 5 at home against Pittsburgh.
Greinke had not pitched in 2 1/2 weeks because of discomfort in his elbow. The former Cy Young winner, who signed a $147 million, six-year contract as a free agent in the offseason, had a platelet-rich plasma injection to help his recovery.
Greinke said his ``arm felt really good today, really strong.''
``I wasn't worried about it today,'' Greinke said. ``I wasn't worried about it the last time I pitched. My pitches aren't 100 percent crisp yet, but I don't know if anyone in the locker room is yet.''
Greinke gave up two hits against minor leaguers from the Chicago White Sox.
``He threw 42 pitches in four innings, that's pretty good,'' Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said a 7-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals. ``That's 10 pitches an inning. He didn't give up any runs. It sounded like he used all of his pitches.''
Mattingly said Greinke's fastball was clocked in the 91-93 mph vicinity, ``which is pretty much his range.''
``Everything went good today,'' Mattingly said.
He has pitched in just two major league spring-training games for a total of five innings.
Mattingly said Greinke is scheduled to start exhibition games Monday against the Royals and March 30 against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim.
``We'd like to see him in the front fields,'' Mattingly said. ``I think he wants to see himself on the front fields, too.''
Greinke should be up to 90 pitches for his regular season debut.
``Ninety pitches is pretty much a full outing,'' Mattingly said.
