The Dodgers and Korean southpaw Hyun-jin Ryu kept rolling on Sunday as the Husky left hander tossed another seven shutout frames helping the Dodgers to an 8-3 series clinching win over the Reds on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati. The Dodger bats rebounded nicely after getting blanked on Saturday to score five runs and swat two more home runs. Cody Bellinger added his seventeenth (two-run shot in the seventh) and Russell Martin hit a solo home run in the eighth. The boys in blue added three more in the top of the ninth (thanks to a two-run double from Alex Verdugo) just to make it a laugher.
Ryu’s stretch of excellent pitching is pretty amazing. He was very good last year too for a long period of games as well before he tore his groin in midseason. This year he’s slowly but surely become the Dodger’s defacto Ace. He ended the game with 31 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to May 1 against San Francisco. That was the last time he allowed a run of any kind. Ryu came into today’s game with a 0.36 ERA in the month of May. It’s certainly brought May flowers for Ryu who has allowed just one earned run on 14 hits across 32 innings pitched this month. Check out the list of Ryu’s pitching lines from May.
May 1 @ San Francisco- 7 IP 1 ER 4H 0 BB 6K – No-Decision
May 7 vs. Atlanta- 9 IP 4H 0BB 6K – CG shutout win
May 12 vs. Washington-8IP 0R 1H 1BB 9K –WIN
May 19 @ Cincinnati- 7IP 0R 5H 1BB 5 SO- WIN
He’s been simply overpowering. I don’t know what it is, but he’s had impeccable command over his pitches. He’s able to mix and match and keep the opposing hitters off balance. He can also throw a little heat when the need arises. Ryu did have to pitch out of some traffic, allowing 5 hits and one walk over seven innings, but opposing hitters have not recorded a hit against him this year with runners in scoring position. Ryu is now 6-1 with a 1.52 ERA. The Dodgers better bring him back next year.
Dodgers 8 6 1
Reds 3 9 1
WP-Ryu-6-1
LP-Roark-3-3
HR-Bellinger-17-Martin-2-Peraza-4-Dietrich-11
While Ryu continued to impress, so did the Dodger bats. Despite the club going 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position, and leaving nine men on base they still managed to plate eight runs on six hits and draw nine walks. As mentioned earlier, there were two home runs. Cody Bellinger’s two-run blast came in the seventh inning and Russell Martin’s solo shot came in the top of the eighth. Verdugo also continued his hot hitting with two doubles, and three runs batted in. Joc Pederson drew two walks and scored three runs and Max Muncy drew two walks and tallied a hit. The Dodgers are now 31-17 and have a 5 game lead in the NL West. What a team.
I hate to bring up something negative on an otherwise bright day, but can we just end the Yimi Garcia experiment? The right hander gave up three runs on two home runs (Peraza, Dietrich) in the bottom of the ninth inning. I realize it was in garbage time but that doesn’t make his pitching any easier to digest. I know he’s been pitching better lately, but he’s still pretty bad overall. The fact that Kenley Jansen had to even get up out of his chair when the Dodgers had an eight run lead coming into the ninth inning was annoying. The Dodgers don’t have any big financial investment in him so I don’t understand why he gets so much rope. Then again I’ve never understood why all the other bad relievers over the past seasons have gotten so much rope.
Anyways, let’s just be happy the Dodgers won and are playing great baseball. Monday is a scheduled day off for the Dodgers as they travel to Tampa Bay for a two game interleague series beginning on Tuesday evening. Clayton Kershaw is slated to start the series opener at Tropicana Field.
Another terrific outing by Ryu. Definitely worthy of an All-Star nod, if he keeps this up. 31 scoreless innings, only 4 walks, 1.52 ERA. Amazing what a contract year can do for one’s motivation. Dodgers will have a big decision to make at season’s end.
Impressed with Ferguson’s progress. Yimi a bit shaky after the error.
Belli-Bomb again. Verdugo, a big spark in the Dodger offense. Possible ROY consideration.
Huge series in Tampa bay is next up. Go Blue
Ryu is the staff ace, no doubt . He’s the guy that will need to get two of the starts in each playoff series. Then is it Hill or Kershaw at our number 2? That really is a toss-up, knowing the post season record of Kershaw makes me think that if the playoffs started today, Hill is our number 2 and gets 2 starts in a playoff series. Yeah yeah, the playoffs don’t start today, but Kersh really is our number 3 at this point in the season. Yeah most teams would kill to have Kersh as their number 3, so let’s enjoy it while it lasts.
Yes, Scott, the Garcia thing has to end, time to find out who, what and when the other guys fit in the bullpen, now’s the time, I hope the brass understands that, somehow I don’t believe they do.
Don’t look now but Joc (part-time) is closing on Bellinger (full-time) for HR leader. I wish the brass would let Joc be a full-timer.
True Blue, agree on Garcia, cause if it weren’t for the 8 runs Dodgers scored he certainly would have forced Robert’s hands to bring in someone else. I mean it was not just those 2 HR’s he served up, and he has made a career of giving them up, but he was being hit hard, and Reds are not an elite team like one that Dodgers will face in the PS. As far as Joc goes, we just have to accept the fact that FO And Roberts will not alter their strategy with Joc and he will continue to sit against LHP no matter what. In fact they talk like he embraces being a platoon guy, which I don’t buy for 1 minute! I will say it again, that even if Joc hit 5 HR’s in a game, I GUARANTEE you he sits the next day if the opposing team throws a LHP against Dodgers. IIWII
I think right now it’s Ryu and Hill for as many outings as possible at Dodgers Stadium. Then Buehler and then Kershaw.
If we are starting on the road I don’t know what I would do. I hope the NL show up and win the All Star Game for once this year.
I wish they’d give more opportunities to Joc and Verdugo against lefties. But some part it is to keep Kike and Taylor fresh (which I’m not sure is all that great a strategy actually …). Anyways Pollack being out has been a blessing in disguise.
Scott, Dodgers certainly have other options than Garcia, even in a mop up time, but why he and other bad relievers who continuously show they don’t belong get all the rope in the world is way beyond me. Not sure Ryu could not have gone at least 1 more inning after just 88 pitches but it’s a mute point now of course.
Strangest stats of the day.
Dodgers were 1-11 RISP, 8 LOB, 13 K’s….. but Dodgers still score 6 runs and win easily, almost by shutout, if not for untimely error.
Says a lot for the Red’s team, in general, and why they are in last place.
The Reds are terrible, that’s why getting shutout by a Reds team really does not speak well of the Dodgers. Come on, you can’t score a single run against a AA level team (you know what I mean).
1-11 RISP, 13Ks should have the brass shaking in their boots if they think that will cut it in the post-season. Friedman really does build teams for the regular season but not the post season. Drives me crazy, amazing how such a winning team in the regular season can cause so much frustration. Some people don’t understand this and why so many of us are frustrated with this team, and to tell you the truth they will never understand it.
As long as the billions of dollars roll into the gates, why should they care. Too many fans buy into this crap, spend their money, and end up crying in October. If they can fill their roster with dumpster quality players and save money, they will.
Owners are laughing to the bank.
I think this is in the correct direction.
If most (nearly all?) fans are happy with the product, and the team is five games away from back to back WS championships, and the team is stocked for the present and future, AND (if BlueFan’s implication is correct) the team is making money….
Then what does anyone (outside of those TrueBlue speaks for) have to complain about?
Bluto
Sunshine and moonbeams and all is right with the Dodgers, right? We have been listening to that propaganda for 5 years and Friedman will continue to give this line of crap as long as the fans believe him. If they believe him he doesn’t have to do anything. Well, he doesn’t have to do anything anyway but the point is the fans deserve a championship and he is living in the margins. He has money, you admitted as much so why doesn’t he make the team good enough to win like he promised years ago or should I say the ownership said that. Get some superstars and win!!
Package,
Brutus is one of those people that I refer to that just doesn’t get it. Brutus thinks winning a division, getting to a WS or having a lot of fans in the seats is what it is all about. I am so glad I didn’t have to play on a team, in my youth, that had a Brutus on it.
Brutus, you just don’t understand, nor will you, you are on another planet. If you think that just good is something to shoot for, don’t be surprised when others call you out. Like I said, you are on another planet and possibly lost in space (warning Will Robinson). I think you mean well (I guess) and you are free to share your thoughts (or others’ thoughts) but I believe you are in a very small universe and you just haven’t had experience playing team sports and thus it is a mystery to you.
True,
Feel free to make as many bad jokes and inane references as you want.
Speculate all you want about which planet I inhabit or come from.
But please don’t make stuff up (in this case what I think “it is all about”) it makes you seem even less worth reading.
You are the inane joke, Brutus.
Planet? It’s got to be uranus, that’s an easy one.
Ah, there’s that cleverness. I missed it so, since the days of Ed Dinger, Grand Mal seizures and the planned parenthood bullpen.
I cannot wait for the next post of such endearing value.
*enduring
And I really, really, really appreciate the cleverness of that “I’m not inane, you are” (quotations for paraphrasing, not quoting.)
Did it take you three seconds to come up with that, or just two?
I wish there was something I could respond to here, Package. But it’s all so delusional and removed from reality.
The team does win.
The team is nowhere near the “crap” of MLB.
I’ve no idea what Friedman’s net worth has to do with anything we are discussing.
Nor do I know what living in the margins means.
Finally, what do sunshine and moonbeams connote?
If happiness, yes.
If accomplishment, yes.
If attaining the final goal, no.
Let’s celebrate what the team has done and hope it wins what it hasn’t.
Bluto
Let me make this easy for you. When the new ownership came they said that the Dodgers would be a force like we have not seen and they would spend whatever money was needed to do this. We have waited for almost 5 years for this to happen and that means winning a world championship and nothing less. I don’t care how much it costs or how great the Dodger minor league system is or how their analytics work so great or however they want to spin it. We have seen this FO spend untold millions on players that have never reached fruition and in some cases never played for the Dodgers in any capacity, yet they will not spend freely on Free Agents and they spout off about how they cannot get this player or that player. Really, it gets very old and cumbersome. I never said the Dodgers were the crap of MLB. I said they give us crap answers as to why we have not won a World Championship since they took over. I am not delusional and resent you saying it over and over. If the Dodgers finished last you would make a case as to why it was OK and it is not OK! So if you want to know why I continually call Dave Roberts a Dummy, it is because I despise bad work and he has done bad work over and over during ingame situations and I will not accept it and he is a Dummy. Any Questions??
Yes, just four for now:
Why would you or I have to worry about the Dodgers finishing last?
If you despise bad work, why do you despise the person who won Manager of the Year?
When did the Dodgers ever say they cannot get any player?
When did ownership say they would be, and I quote, “a force like we have not seen.”
Bluto
Really? You are smart enough to know what I am talking about. Why would you ask questions that you already know the answers? I didn’t say we would have to worry about finishing last, I said IF they finished last. It doesn’t matter if Dave Roberts was Manager of the year. He can and does bad work. The Dodgers said early on that they would be a force and that they would get the players necessary to achieve that end. They may not have said those exact words on being a force but it was Damn close. Twisting what I say, or just trying to act dumb does not get it Bluto. You are just stirring the pot. Bottom line is the ownership and management are not doing what they promised and to give them undo credit because they can make the playoffs is not good enough. The team was doing that when McCourt was here. And don’t give me the crap about the team did not go to the WS because if they don’t win they are not a winner.
Package, it is time for you and I to just ignore Brutus. He really is just a shyte thrower, that gets his kicks being a contrarian. He adds zero value, zero insight and really zero entertainment value. He is not worthy of your time or my time. He has relegated himself to the irrelevant status. Maybe if we ignore him he will take his ball and return to the Pedro Philes where he came from.
Bye Bye Brutus, you are deserving of the “ignore list” and your posts are not worthy of reading.
Package,
This is pathetic. You are basically ignoring or invalidating every accomplishment this team has had under the current regime and saying, thus there have been no accomplishments.
Of course it matter that Roberts won Manager of the Year. It was voted on by people who know way more about baseball than you or I. That’s significant.
As for the team in general, just because one accomplishment hasn’t been achieved yet (one) doesn’t mean there haven’t been any. Obviously, the big thing is to win the World Series. Hopefully that will happen.
HOWEVER the only way you can equate what this ownership has done is if you you overlook all the things that are better and different. Which is what you precisely what you are doing.
My point is not tat winning the World Series is not a goal to strive for, my point is that AND that it’s quite an accomplishment to get a team there in back-to-back years.
If you can find me one place (ONE PLACE ONLY) the Dodgers, or any of their owners or executives said they promise to win a world series, I will acknowledge I am wrong on this point. I bet you cannot.
On a similar note, if the Dodgers did say their plan was to be a force, can we really say they are not? What possible definition of force would not be satisfied by what this team has done at the major or minor league level.
Bluto
I think you should be over on the other site you visit. There you can drink the kool aid and tell each other how great the minor league players are and how great the team has done with the new ownership and management and the whole time never winning the main objective. I am sorry but I cannot give credit to people who have not won the trophy for the whole season every season. It has been more than 30 years since the last World Series Championship and to continue to dream about something that should have already happened is crazy especially with all the money that should be available we watch the team pinch pennies so they will not go over THEIR cap. They are the A$$hols of the baseball world. Walters, Kasten, Friedman and Dummy can kiss ole curly.
I’m over on that other board too.
More people there. Not sure the discussion is necessarily better.
What True Blue says here has some merit:
“1-11 RISP, 13Ks should have the brass shaking in their boots if they think that will cut it in the post-season. Friedman really does build teams for the regular season but not the post season.” An example was yesterday’s game with a team that is not elite in any sense of the word. Dodgers got away with Yimi being left in there against the Reds, even though they were knocking jim around besides those 2 HR’s. My initial guess would be that Dodgers probably don’t win yesterday’s game if it was against an elite team such like one they would be facing in the PS and WS. Dodgers are on a roll for sure, but some of these strategies used as far as BP options and platoon lineups probably won’t get it done in a WS.. Dodgers got by last year against the Braves and Brewers, as they were not experienced in PS play as we saw with Boston. Honestly, as far as spending freely or dumpster diving for players reminds me of a vinyl record store in my hometown that simply sells and stocks only very bad quality warped vinyl records instead of those kept in mint condition or brand new.
A glimpse into the future?
Rays lead MLB in ERA (2.98) and ERA- (70). They have the best opponent OPS in the 1st inning (.185/.247/.299) & 2nd best oOPS in 2nd inning (.175/.244/.273)
Tampa Bay has used an opener 68 times in the year since they started doing it, per the TB Tines