Dodgers News: Mattingly Credits Ryu For Keeping Pirates Off Balance
Ryu was back on the mound Monday with seven days’ rest, which figured to bode well for the left-hander given his superior career success when simply pitching on a single day of extra rest.
Given a 1-0 lead in the third inning, Ryu held the Pittsburgh Pirates to two runs over seven strong innings. He began the game by retiring nine of the first 10 batters he faced.
Following the win, manager Don Mattingly credited Ryu for keeping the Pirates off balance with his assortment of pitches, via an AP report on ESPN:
He had a good fastball, a good curveball and he threw his fastball to both sides of the plate,” Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly said. “I thought he pitched really well and kept them off balance the whole time.”
Monday was the first time Ryu went seven innings since doing so in his July 2 start, which the Dodgers lost to the Cleveland Indians and the left-hander took home a no-decision. Overall this season, Ryu has gone at least seven innings in seven of his 18 starts.
Ryu is now 11-5 with a 3.39 ERA and is well on his way to surpassing last season’s 14-win total. The performance was another impressive one on the road for Ryu, who improved to 7-2 with a 2.73 ERA away from Chavez Ravine.
By comparison, Ryu is just 4-3 with a 4.13 ERA at Dodger Stadium. The second-year pitcher has now won two consecutive games since imploding against the Detroit Tigers on July 8.
Ryu’s next start will also come on the road and with an extra days’ when he faces the San Francisco Giants July 27.
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