ethernetacademy.netIt would have been his first quality start (QS) of the season if it weren’t for a defensive miscue, but back-to-back errors forced Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays) to settle for another five innings.
Ryu pitched five innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits (two home runs) with five strikeouts in a no-decision against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Sunday (July 27). In Toronto’s 8-3 win, Ryu improved to 3-1 on the season. He raised his season ERA from 1.89 to 2.25.
Despite giving up two solo home runs to Jose Ramirez in the first and Tyler Freeman in the fifth, Ryu threw 60 pitches through five innings. Based on his pitch count, he could have gotten through the sixth and seventh innings, but back-to-back errors in the sixth ended his quality start.
After a leadoff single to right by Cole Calhoun in the sixth, Ryu threw a three-pitch changeup outside to Ramirez, inducing a grounder to third. The pitch was fast, clocking in at 106 mph (170.6 km/h), but it was in front of third baseman Matt Chapman. It would have been a 5-4-3 double play if Chapman had caught it, but he missed the throw. Chapman’s throwing error turned a bases-loaded situation into runners on first and second with no outs.
Ryu didn’t falter, though, and induced the next batter, Oscar Gonzalez, to ground out to shortstop on a low changeup. Then came another error. This time, it was shortstop Santiago Espinal. He tried to make a backhanded catch, but the ball hit his glove and rolled sideways. A hit that could have at least put a runner on first or set up a 6-4-3 double play was dropped again, leaving the bases loaded.
Eventually, Ryu had to leave the game after 70 pitches. In came reliever Yimi Garcia, who has a better strikeout rate than Ryu. Garcia walked the first batter he faced with a hard-hit ball, extending Ryu’s lead to three runs with one unearned run. Garcia retired the next three batters in a row to preserve the win for Ryu, but a series of defensive miscues cost him the inning.
Both Chapman and Espinal are good defensive players. Chapman, in particular, is a three-time Gold Glove winner, but he’s especially bad when Ryu Hyun-jin is on the mound. Against the Cincinnati Reds on April 21, Chapman cut the ball on a replay of Noelby Marte’s fly ball to left field with runners on first and third in the second inning and threw it backwards, allowing Ryu to score two unearned runs.
Toronto ranks ninth among all 30 teams with at least 61 team errors. They have an above-average defense, but they are especially prone to errors when Ryu is on. Ryu threw five innings of two-run ball against the Chicago Cubs on April 14 and Cincinnati on April 21, both of which were unearned. Against the Cubs, a throwing error by first baseman Brandon Belt in the first inning and a throwing error by first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the second inning against Cincinnati.토토사이트
Prior to tonight’s game against Cleveland, Ryu hadn’t gotten much defensive help, committing five errors in his last three games. Of his last seven runs, two have been earned and five have been unearned. With his pitch count rising due to the lack of support from his offense and defense, Ryu was happy to go five innings in his last three games.