Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spent the past two days speaking in uncertain terms when addressing when Hyun-Jin Ryu would next start or so much as pitch in a game. Roberts revealed the club was considering placing the southpaw in the bullpen.
A potential stumbling block, Roberts explained, was whether Ryu could adjust his routine to succeed in a role as a reliever. If Thursday night was any indication, the left-hander is capable of pitching out of the bullpen just fine.
Ryu followed Kenta Maeda’s five innings with four shutout innings in his first career relief appearance with the Dodgers. Ryu pitched 10 games out of the bullpen during his time in South Korea.
“It was obviously a big win for us, but the story was Ryu,” Roberts said. “Just the unselfishness to do something he’s never done before. Can’t say enough about him.”
Ryu’s first relief appearance amounted to a four-inning save. It was the Dodgers’ first such save since Ramon Troncoso in 2009.
While Maeda surrendered three runs in the first inning, he kept the St. Louis Cardinals off the board over his next four innings of work. Considering some of his trouble in pitching deep into games, Ryu piggybacking the right-hander made for a natural decision.
“Those two guys, back-to-back in a tandem situation, is pretty lethal,” Roberts said. But, Ryu would not exclusively be used as a reliever for Maeda’s starts. What’s more, while he performed admirably in unchartered territory, Ryu is still viewed by the club as a starting pitcher.
“I’d like to think the more he does it the more he can get comfortable with the role,” Roberts explained. “But again, this is not something we plan on being permanent. It’s just to make sure we build his pitch count up and get him some consistent innings.”
Roberts again voiced concerns over Ryu’s routine, which he called “more complex than any other starter.” The 30-year-old isn’t expected to be available for the next two or three games. That essentially buys more time for the Dodgers to determine the next step.
What does appear certain is Ryu won’t yet be placed back into the starting rotation. Roberts expressed a desire to stick with the current group of five — Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Maeda, Alex Wood and Brandon McCarthy — one more time through.
