Ryu done it
Los Angeles Dodgers starter Ryu Hyun-jin throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the second inning of their game in Los Angeles, Tuesday. / AP-Yonhap
Dodgers rookie dominates Angels for first career shutout in majors
By Kim Young-jin
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After Los Angeles Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly questioned his team's grit, pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin showed Tuesday that he, for one, would not go gently into that good night.
In doing so, the Korean lefty earned high praise from both Mattingly and his teammates.
In his
of an impressive rookie season, Ryu gave up just two hits and struck out seven en route to his first complete game in the majors, as the Dodgers beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 at Dodger Stadium.
With the win, the Ryu improved to 6-2. He also gave a lift to his team, which is looking to build momentum after being prodded by Mattingly to climb out of the National League West cellar.
“He's a superstar,” enthused Dodgers slugger Matt Kemp. “He kept some great hitters off-balance.”
Ryu navigated his way out of a 22-pitch second inning and cruised the rest of the way, keeping a loaded Angels lineup off balance with a game plan that relied on fastballs in early on and off-speed pitches in the middle innings. He retired 19 straight batters in one stretch.
Sharp throughout, Ryu got strikeouts at big moments against Chris Iannetta to end the second and fifth innings, and Mike Trout in the seventh.
“When the fastball works, everything becomes more effective,” Ryu said.
“I was just really comfortable. After the seventh when I realized my pitch count wasn’t that high I realized I could challenge myself (to finish the game).”
Mattingly noted that Ryu’s fastball was lively into the later innings, and called the lefty an "artist...able to throw both sides of the plate and changing speeds.”
“He’s a guy whose change-up and off-speed is so good. Now all of a sudden he's throwing more fastballs,” he said.
Mattingly, who is in the final year of his contract, sounded off at his team last week, saying success was “not just putting an all-star team out there and the all-star team wins.” Since then the Dodgers have won four of six, including two against the Angels, its cross-town, American League rival.
The Dodgers bats were awake Tuesday, at least enough to take advantage of a struggling Joe Blanton.
In the fifth, light-hitting shortstop Luis Cruz homered to left, scoring Juan Uribe. The Dodgers scored again in the sixth when A.J. Ellis singled in Matt Kemp.
Ryu helped himself out with some nifty glove-work, beating Alberto Callaspo to first base after a groundball in the second. He also hit a double in the third for the Dodgers' first hit.
The lefty, who has pitched more innings than any other rookie, has been a bright spot in an underwhelming season for the Dodgers. Kemp, hoping to be a franchise player, has struggled and the team has had trouble overcoming late-inning deficits.