Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu will miss scheduled start on Friday
By Brad Rowland
Despite their recent success, Wednesday was not a terribly successful day in the land of the Los Angeles Dodgers. On the field, they dropped a 7-5 decision to the Colorado Rockies to end a 6-game winning streak, and off the field, they received some negative news surrounding one of their top-end starting pitchers.
Left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu will not be making his scheduled start on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds, and according to manager Don Mattingly, he will be replaced by another left-hander in Chris Capuano. Mattingly also stated that the team was “not really concerned” about Ryu’s status, but did add that they hope he can return on Tuesday or Wednesday.
With a massive, 12.5-game lead in the NL West, this is the last type of issue that the Dodgers would like to be dealing with. Ryu has been tremendous this season, posting a 3.02 ERA (3.43 xFIP) over 167 innings, and despite the long shadow of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, he has excelled. In fact, Ryu is one of the leading contenders for the NL Rookie of the Year award, and any extended absence from the rotation would likely take him out of the running.
If the 26-year-old can pitch on Tuesday or Wednesday (as stated), this becomes a non-issue. However, if he gets pushed back further due to complications, the collective eyebrows of “Dodger Nation” will begin to raise.