Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin rocked by Rockies in return from DL
By a2016032Published : May 12, 2017 - 13:22
Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers got rocked by the Colorado Rockies in his return from the disabled list.
Ryu was touched for 10 runs -- five of them unearned -- on eight hits and six walks in four innings at Coors Field in Denver on Thursday (local time). The South Korean left-hander left the game with the Dodgers down 10-0.
The 10 totals runs and six walks issued were both single-game highs for Ryu in his major league career. Ryu dropped to 1-5 on the season, and his ERA rose from 4.05 to 4.99.
The Dodgers mounted a rally after Ryu was relieved, but ended up losing 10-7.
The Dodgers made it 10-6 in the top ninth and then loaded the bases with nobody out. Chase Utley bounced into a double play, giving the Dodgers another run. Yasiel Puig then struck out swinging to end the game.
It was Ryu's first start since April 30 against the Philadelphia Phillies. He picked up his first win of the season then, after limiting the Phillies to a run over 5 1/3 innings, but was placed on the 10-day disabled list the following day with a hip contusion.
Ryu missed all of 2015 after a shoulder surgery, and made just one start in 2016 before shutting it down with elbow issues.
This was already Ryu's third start against the Rockies in his six outings this season, and second at Coors Field, the notorious hitters' park where the batted balls tend to carry farther in the thin, mile-high air.
He has now given up 11 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings against Colorado so far in 2017.
Ryu struck out Charlie Blackmon to start the game, but things quickly went downhill from there.
A walk and a single put two men on board, and Ian Desmond brought both home with a double down the left field line for a 2-0 Rockies lead.
Ryan Hanigan led off the bottom second with a single. Colorado pitcher Jeff Hoffman put down a bunt in a sacrifice attempt, but the Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes fielded the ball and made a poor throw to second trying to get the lead runner, leaving both runners safe.
Two batters later, Nolan Arenado -- who had been 6-for-12 with two homers versus Ryu before this game -- lined a double to right-center gap, making it 4-0 Colorado.
Mark Reynolds followed up with a long RBI single off the right-field wall. Ryu then intentionally walked right-handed batting Desmond to face Carlos Gonzalez, who bats left-handed. But Gonzalez made Ryu pay with a double to right, plating two more runs for a 7-0 cushion.
Ryu got his first three-up, three-down inning in the third, but walked Arenado to start the fourth inning.
Ryu hit Desmond with a pitch to put two on board for Gonzalez, who knocked in a run with a single up the middle.
With the men at the corners, Pat Valaika looped a double to right field corner to put the Rockies up 9-0. Things went from bad to worse for Ryu, who was called for a balk with Hanigan at the plate and allowed Gonzalez to trot home from third.
Ryu walked Hanigan but retired the next two to avoid further damage.
He made 101 pitches, with only 57 of them for strikes.
Over the first two innings, seven runs were scored with two outs. (Yonhap)