WASHINGTON — The success the Rays have had during two months of using a game opener followed by a relieving starter seems to have tamed some of the criticism of the unusual plan.
Until Arizona ace Zack Greinke, a Cy Young award winner and five-time All-Star, was asked about by the Tampa Bay Times on Monday.
"It's really smart,'' Greinke said, "but it's also really bad for baseball.''
How so?
"It's just a sideshow,'' he said. "There are always ways to get a little advantage. The main problem I have with it is that you do it that way and you'll end up never paying any player what he's worth because you're not going to have guys starting, you're not going to have guys throwing (a lot of) innings.