The Los Angeles Dodgers have the San Francisco Giants hot on their heels in the race for the National League West title. Now they might be staring down the remainder of that playoff race without one of their best starting pitchers.
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Hyun-Jin Ryu had just recently returned to the rotation, but he was forced to exit his start on Friday night because of left shoulder irritation. Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles reports the following:
"There was no immediate indication of the severity of Ryu’s injury this time, though his velocity was down Friday night.Ryu will be examined by team orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache Saturday. The 27-year-old said it felt similar to the injury that kept him on the disabled list from April 28 to May 21 with shoulder inflammation.“It’s a little bit of everything, stiffness and pain,” Ryu said through an interpreter."
Ryu doesn’t exactly rely on his velocity for his success, but it is still telling as an indicator of a health issue. That it is a problem with his throwing shoulder does not bode well for the Dodgers, and it is something with which they will have to proceed carefully.
Through 25 starts this season, Ryu is 14-6 with a 3.16 ERA in 151 innings of work. He is the more understated stud in the Dodgers’ rotation, and they will have a hard time replacing him if he is out for an extended period of time.
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