Ryu won’t get away from plan
Set to start Game 2 atFenway
Dodgers lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu is statistically better suited to make a World Series start against the Red Sox at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts favors continuity over contrasting home-andaway numerical breakdowns and selected Ryu to start opposite left David Price in Game 2 of the Fall Classic tonight at Fenway Park.
“Just to kind of keep him in turn,” explained Roberts before last night’s Game 1.
“He didn’t throw a whole lot in his last start in Milwaukee. Yeah, he’s thrown considerably better at home, but just the way he’s throwing the baseball, we feel confident he can go out there and put up a quality start for us tomorrow.”
In nine starts at Dodger Stadium this season, Ryu is 5-2 with a 1.50 ERA, the best among National League starters with a minimum of nine starts. During his run, Ryu had 60 strikeouts against six walks with an opponents’ on-base percentage of .234.
Things didn’t go that way for the 6-foot-3, 250-pound native of Incheon, South Korea, in his six road starts. Ryuwent2-1witha3.58ERA in 27.2 innings, 27 strikeouts and nine walks.
“Obviously it’s a stadium that I’ve pitched in the most, therefore I feel pretty comfortable pitching at Dodger Stadium,” Ryu said. “And, having that run of success definitely builds more confidence.
“I guess that’s one of the reasons why.”
Ryu’s home-and-road disparities were on display both in the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves and the Championship Sseries against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Ryu was phenomenal in Game 1 against the Braves at Dodger Stadium. In his first postseason start since 2014, Ryu scattered four hits over seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts.
He became the first Dodgers starter to toss seven scoreless innings in a postseason start since last night’s starter, lefty Clayton Kershaw, did the trick against the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the NLCS last season.
Ryu did not fare as well in two NLCS starts in Milwaukee. In Game 2 at Miller Park, Ryu did not factor in the decision in the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss, pitching 4 1/3 innings and giving up two runs on six hits with four strikeouts.
Ryu got tagged with the loss in the Brewers’ 7-2 victory in Game 6. He pitched three innings and allowed five runs on seven hits with three strikeouts.
“Looking back on it (Game 6), if I actually commanded all of my off-speed pitches to get ahead in the count, I think there would have been a better result,” Ryu said.
“Obviously (against the Red Sox) I’m going to use all my pitches that I can throw and may try to command the pitches better.”