Greinke lands D-Backs' Opening Day assignment

The Arizona Diamondbacks will send Zack Greinke to the mound for their April 2 season opener against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field, manager Torey Lovullo confirmed Wednesday, handing the former Cy Young award winner his second straight Opening Day start.

Greinke, 33, floundered in his first season with Arizona after signing a six-year, $206.5-million deal with the club last December, putting up a 4.37 ERA - his worst since 2005 - while making only 26 starts to due an oblique injury that sidelined him for more than five weeks.

His first start of 2016 was particularly disastrous, as Greinke allowed seven runs on nine hits - including three home runs - over four innings against the Colorado Rockies, taking the loss in a 10-5 defeat that made for an inauspicious Diamondbacks debut.