Ryu to start against St. Louis

ST. LOUIS — Throughout the middle of last week, the Dodgers haggled with Hyun Jin Ryu over his transition to the bullpen. The team wanted to synchronize a relief appearance with Ryu’s workout routine, which has helped keep his shoulder strong after surgery in 2015.

It was a complicated process that culminated in a fourinning outing that backed up Kenta Maeda’s start against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The tandem of Maeda and Ryu did not last long. With Alex Wood on the disabled list, resting for 10 days after experi- enced inflammation in his sternum, Ryu will start Wednesday against the Cardinals, manager Dave Roberts confirmed before Tuesday’s game at Busch Stadium.

“I think Ryu’s excited,” Roberts said. “He goes back to what he’s known as a professional baseball player. To have the depth that we have, to be able to slot him in, it’s good for us.”

Ryu, who has a record of 2-5 and a 4.28 earned-run average, ranks sixth on the team’s depth chart of starting pitchers. But with the way the organization shuffles players through the rotation, he will continue to receive opportunities to start. Seager leads

Corey Seager led National League shortstops in the first batch of All-Star game voting, released Tuesday.

Seager held a narrow edge over the Chicago Cubs’ Addison Russell, who won the fan vote last season. Seager, then a rookie, still got on the team.

“He’s the best shortstop in the National League,” Roberts said of Seager. “Obviously, we have some very good young shortstops in our game. But he’s very good for the game. To see him at the top, rightfully so.”

Short hops

Like the rest of the baseball world, Roberts was an interested observer in the fight Monday between Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper and San Francisco Giants reliever Hunter Strickland. Both players landed punches after Strickland drilled Harper in the hip with a pitch. “That was a good one,” Roberts said. “It’s hard to think that there wasn’t intent right there. That was some big boys going at it right there.” … Enrique Hernandez will probably start for Yasiel Puig on Wednesday as Roberts continues to rotate the hot-hitting utility player around the lineup.