Ryu suffers loss in first QS start since returning from injury

The Toronto Blue Jays’ Hyun-jin Ryu lost his first quality start since returning to the big leagues. Missed balls turned into hits, and the offense struggled to get going against Max Scherzer.

The right-hander allowed three runs on six hits and five walks with six strikeouts in six innings of a home game against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre in Canada on Wednesday. Taking the mound with his team trailing 0-3, he suffered his third loss of the season as the game ended with a final score of 3-6.

Overall, he pitched well, especially with his fastball, which was near perfect. Aside from a single to Robbie Grossman in the first inning, he shut down the Texas bats through three innings without issuing a walk. The momentum was not lost against Scherzer, one of the best pitchers in the majors.

The crisis came in the fourth inning. He gave up a single up the middle to Corey Seager, who was a staple in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, that slipped through a defensive shift. The next pitch he saw from Grossman was a two-run shot to left field. He kept the cutter close to his body, but it was caught in the dirt.

More bad luck. In the sixth inning, Seager’s third at-bat of the game, a line drive to deep right fielder George Springer was out of reach for a double. Grossman struck out, but Mitch Garber’s next pitch fell right under Springer’s nose, and a sacrifice fly plated the third run.

The Toronto bats had their chances. They had runners on first and second in the second inning and second and third in the fourth, but came up empty. The unexpected twist came in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Ryu was done pitching. After five and a third scoreless innings, Scherzer went down with a right triceps injury.토토사이트

Although he took the loss, it was a significant pitch for Ryu. The six innings on 82 pitches was his first quality start in a year and four months since May of last year. His season ERA is now 2.93.