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Los Angeles needs Hyun-jin Ryu to pitch well, but he didn’t fare well in his first major league game in more than 20 months. Ryu struck out six and induced six ground balls, though the Dodgers still fell, 6-0, in his return Thursday night.
All six runs were charged to Ryu, who tossed 89 pitches and saw his velocity drop notably.
Although the Dodgers were initially confident Ryu would be healthy for the first week of the season, Ryu didn’t make a minor league appearance until May 15 and after three appearances took two weeks off due to soreness.
Ryu started eight minor league games before the Dodgers activated him, and the situation was likely complicated by Clayton Kershaw’s stint on the disabled list.
If Ryu is unable to throw strikes routinely, the Dodgers might have to consider adding starting depth before the non-waiver trade deadline.
More from around the National League West:
- San Francisco first baseman Brandon Belt won the Final Vote and will be added to the National League’s All-Star roster.
- Wil Myers will participate in the Home Run Derby, becoming the fifth player in franchise history to represent the Padres in the contest.
- FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman noted Carlos Gonzalez would be open to a trade, but our Chris Cotillo notes there was no meeting between Gonzalez and Colorado’s front office.
- Things haven’t gone well for Arizona’s pitchers, which could put Pitching Coach Mike Butcher’s job in jeopardy.
- Six Dodgers prospects were recognized on Baseball America’s midseason list of top 100 prospects.