Greinke keeps eye on Felix

SEATTLE – Zack Greinke’s next task after setting a Royals’ record for strikeouts in a single game: studying.

Three days after Kansas City’s flourishing ace struck out 15 Cleveland Indians, Greinke spent Friday night watching every move of Felix Hernandez, Seattle’s top young gun and a fellow contender for the American League’s Cy Young Award this season.

“Yeah, I’m probably going to watch him as close as I’ve watched anyone this year,” Greinke said hours before Hernandez faced the Royals and earned his 13th win in 18 decisions.

Greinke, 12-8 with an A.L.-leading 2.43 ERA, said he closely follows all the top pitchers in the A.L., including New York’s CC Sabathia. It motivates the sixth overall pick in the 2002 draft.

“If you’ve got other people doing great things, you’re like, ‘OK, it’s possible,’ ” Greinke said. “To do those things is not impossible.”

Greinke, 25, nods his head and flashes a shy smile when asked what it means to him to be mentioned as a Cy Young candidate, on a team that hasn’t had a pitcher win the award since David Cone in 1994.

“No, I’m just worried about pitching my next game,” he said.