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| Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League Division Series at Busch Stadium in St Louis, Missouri, Tuesday (KST). / AFP-Yonhap |
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It was Game 3 again, and it was also against the St. Louis Cardinals. But Los Angeles Dodgers' starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin — despite pitching six solid innings for a no-decision — failed to repeat last year's success, as his team was defeated 3-1, Tuesday (KST). The Cardinals have taken a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five National League Division Series.
Last year, Ryu became the first South Korean to win a postseason game in the majors after he shut out the Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS).
In Tuesday's game, Ryu at least proved that he has fully recovered from left shoulder injuries, as he had an impressive outing in his first playoff game this year, only allowing a single home run.
He is expected to serve as a critical weapon for his team if the Dodgers make it to this year's NLCS.
Before the Game 3, it was feared Ryu might suffer a recurrence of the left shoulder problems that sidelined him for the last three weeks, and teammate Dan Haren was prepared to replace Ryu if necessary.
However, Ryu was strong and in mid-season form, dominating the Cardinals' hitters, although he gave up a homer to right center field by Matt Carpenter in the third inning.
In the sixth inning, the Dodgers had a chance to turn the game around, as Yasiel Puig opened the inning with a triple to right field. But Adrian Gonzalez flied to shallow left for the first out, and Matt Kemp struck out. Ramirez doubled into the right-field corner to bring Puig home, but it turned out to be the last run for the Dodgers.
Until the sixth inning, the two teams' starting pitchers, Ryu and John Lackey of the Cardinals, delivered, each allowing only five hits and one run.
But they had to settle for different fates, as Ryu was replaced in the seventh inning by Scott Elbert, who gave up a two-run homer to Kolten Wong while Lackey remained on the mound and shut out the Dodgers in the bottom of the same inning. He was later aided by his side's strong bullpen to secure the win.
Now, the Dodgers, who are facing elimination, are expected to use every possible measure to rebound.
Even before the Tuesday's game, the Dodgers announced they will have their best pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke ready for Games 4 and 5 despite their shorter-than-usual rest after their appearances in the first and second games against the Cardinals.
"He's our best guy," manager Don Mattingly said when asked about bringing back Kershaw, the loser of Game 1 after allowing eight earned runs and being replaced in the seventh inning.
The strong Cy Young contender will be pitching on three days' rest for the second year in a row in the division series.
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