Dodgers’ Zack Greinke likely to miss Friday start due to birth of child

REPORTING FROM NEW YORK —  Zack Greinke returned to Los Angeles for the birth of his first child and is expected to miss his scheduled start Friday against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

While Manager Don Mattingly said it was “unrealistic” to expect Greinke to be back in time to pitch Friday, he remained hopeful the All-Star right-hander could pitch later in the four-game series. Greinke is currently on a 43 2/3-inning scoreless streak.

Mattingly wouldn’t say who would take Greinke’s place in the rotation Friday, saying what happens in the series opener Thursday could be a factor.

One option could be long reliever Ian Thomas, who has started five games in triple-A Oklahoma City. Thomas was recalled earlier this week.

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There is also uncertainty regarding who will pitch Saturday and Sunday.

The rotation spot that falls on Saturday became vacant when the Dodgers optioned Brandon Beachy to triple A after two ineffective starts.

Theoretically, Greinke could pitch that day. If not, the Dodgers could turn to former first-round draft pick Zach Lee.

As for the game Sunday, Mattingly is hopeful Brett Anderson can pitch that day.

Anderson departed from his start Tuesday in Atlanta after 2 2/3 innings because of problems with his Achilles’ tendon. Anderson has since reported significant improvement in his condition and threw on flat ground Thursday. He said he will throw his regularly scheduled bullpen session Friday.

How Anderson feels Friday probably will determine whether he starts Sunday.

Regardless of whether Anderson pitches Sunday, he said he is confident he will avoid landing on the disabled list.

Follow Dylan Hernandez on Twitter @dylanohernandez