Hyun-jin Ryu (36, Toronto Blue Jays) will try to win his fourth game of the season against the American League wild-card contender Texas Rangers.
Toronto will host Texas for a four-game series at Rogers Centre in Canada, starting on Tuesday, April 12. With both teams currently battling for an American League wild-card spot, the series is expected to be intense.
According to the starting lineup announced by the club, Hyun-jin Ryu will start Game 2 of the series at 8:07 a.m. on Wednesday. Chris Bassett will start Game 1 on Wednesday, while Yusei Kikuchi and Kevin Gausman will start Games 3 and 4.
After a lengthy rehabilitation from elbow surgery last year, Hyun-jin Ryu has shown flashes of brilliance with a 3-2 record and 2.65 ERA in seven starts since returning to the big leagues, most notably winning three straight starts against the Chicago Cubs on April 14 and the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 27 to keep Toronto in the hunt for the wild card.
However, he hasn’t been as fortunate in recent outings. In his first start of the month against the Colorado Rockies on the 2nd, he overcame the conditions at Coors Field, a pitcher’s graveyard, and pitched five innings of two-run ball, but a bullpen struggle cost him the win and turned it into a no-decision.
In his most recent start on July 7 against the Oakland Athletics, he did his part with five innings of two-run ball, but he couldn’t get the offense going and suffered his second loss of the season.
Nevertheless, local media have been praising Ryu for his steady performance since his elbow surgery, which is difficult for pitchers to recover from.
It’s also a plus that Ryu has shown good battery chemistry with Tyler Heinemann, who has joined the lineup for the first time after being sidelined with a fractured finger.
The series against Texas is important for both the team and Ryu.
Coming off a recent three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals, Toronto is in second place for the American League wild card at 80-63, but trails the third-place Seattle Mariners (79-64) and fourth-place Texas (78-64) by one game and 1.5 games, respectively.
For Toronto, it’s imperative that they rack up as many wins as possible in the four-game series against Texas to stay in the hunt. They’re desperate for a win and need Ryu to pitch well.
One thing he’ll need to watch out for is the “blood home run. Ryu has allowed home runs in four of his seven starts since returning from injury, including a total of four in his last three games.
Adolis Garcia, who has 34 homers and 100 RBIs for Texas, is on the disabled list, but Corey Seager, who was a one-trick pony with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is also a threat with 30 homers and an OPS of 1.050.
Marcus Semien (24 homers), Mitch Garber (16 homers), and Jonah Heim (15 homers) are other power hitters who can hit at any time.
Ryu is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in three career starts against Texas. His most recent outing came on April 11 of last year, when he was tagged for six runs in 3 1/3 innings.메이저사이트
Ryu and Max Scherzer (Texas) will be matched up against each other on the mound.
Since making his big league debut in 2008, Scherzer has compiled a 213-108 record, 3,365 strikeouts, and a 3.15 ERA in 456 career MLB appearances. This season, he is still one of the best in the league with a 12-6 record, 172 strikeouts, and a 3.91 ERA.
This will be the first time Hyun-jin Ryu has faced Scherzer in a starting role since breaking into the MLB in 2013.