The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped the series opener to the Washington Nationals, which was their second loss in a row, but a silver lining could be found in Hyun-Jin Ryu, even with him taking the loss. He completed seven innings for the first time since Aug. 31, 2014.
While Ryu allowed four runs on seven hits, one of which was a home run, his velocity held for much of the night. It was noticeably up a tick in the first inning when the southpaw struck out Bryce Harper on a 94 mph fastball out of the zone.
“Hyun-Jin was really good. He came out with a lot of conviction,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “The changeup and cutter were good. To see him come out with a purpose and focus was really encouraging.
“If you look at the whole body of work, seven innings to give up four runs on not a lot of quality contact, there were some strikeouts in there, start to finish this was one of the best outings he’s had all year.”
Roberts added Ryu’s performance earned him another start. A spot in the rotation was created when Alex Wood landed on the 10-day disabled list. Wood was initially expected to miss just one start.
That meant a return during the series with the Nationals, but he now won’t come off the DL until the weekend. In the two spots starts, Ryu has allowed a combined five runs in 13 innings. Although he’s receiving another start, when that will be is unclear.
Roberts, however, believes Monday’s outing could be used as a springboard. “I think it’s something to build on,” he said.
