Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, of the Toronto Blue Jays, was criticized by the local media in Canada for his lack of batting support. Until this day, he had been praised as a man of determination, but one home run changed the attitude of the local media.
Ryu took the mound for the third game of a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California, U.S., on July 7 (local time), giving up two runs on five hits (one home run) with one walk and five strikeouts in five innings of work.
Ryu’s pregame record was 3-1 with a 2.48 ERA in six starts, including a five-inning, two-run no-decision against the Colorado Rockies on April 2. He threw 76 pitches in that outing and was making his first start of the season on four days’ rest.
After throwing a one-hit shutout through three innings, Ryu got off to a shaky start in the fourth when Brent Rooker led off with a double. On a subsequent Ryan Noda grounder to first base, an advanced throw to third by first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. created runners on first and third instead of first and second, and Diaz flied out to right field on the first pitch. Following a wild pitch, he gave up a two-run homer to left field to Carlos Perez.
On a 2B-2S pitch count, Ryu hit a five-pitch low four-seam fastball (90.5 mph) to Perez that sailed just inside the left field foul pole. It was his third homer in his last three games and fifth of the season. It was Ryu’s first and last earned run.
Ryu was relieved by Trevor Richards in the sixth inning, still trailing 1-2. His ERA rose to 2.65 from 2.48 as the team fell to 2-5 and suffered its second loss of the season in 36 days, the first since Aug. 2 against the Baltimore Orioles in his return from injury.
MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, cited a lack of offensive support as a factor in Ryu’s loss. The Toronto offense, which had been on fire for six days, slowed to a crawl when Ryu took the mound.
MLB.com wrote, “Toronto had won all five of Ryu’s recent starts, but the offense didn’t get enough support on this day. The veteran left-hander gave up a two-run homer to Oakland catcher Carlos Perez and the offense failed to cover for him.”
The Toronto Sun had a different take. In addition to the lack of support from the bats, they also pointed to Ryu’s command. “Ryu has been on a roll lately, going 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his last five games, but he wasn’t sharp today. Of course, there was also a lack of support from his teammates.”토스카지노
Meanwhile, Toronto, third in the American League East, lost its fourth straight to fall to 77-63 on the season. After jumping into the third wild-card spot the day before, the Jays were swept by the last-place team, leaving them anxiously awaiting the outcome of the game between the fourth-place Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros.