Hyun Jin Ryu Powers Through Sticky Night in Baltimore
May 28 was the last time Blue Jays starter Hyun Jin Ryu struck out more than four batters. In Wednesday night's 10-2 victory at Camden Yards, Ryu had three punch outs before he started the second inning.
The big South Korean earned the win, but the Orioles made him work the entire night. By the third inning, Ryu's baby blue jersey was drenched in sweat, as temperatures in Baltimore sat around 29° Celsius (84.2° Fahrenheit). Still, the left-hander went five strong innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking two and striking out seven (ties his season high) on 86 pitches.
Overall, Ryu's command of his pitches looked a little better, especially his changeup, a pitch he mentioned was responsible for some of his recent struggles.
"My command has been better compared to the last recent outings. Even with my changeup as well, it felt like I was going in the right direction," Ryu said through an interpreter.
Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo agreed that Ryu's changeup is his key to success.
"Whenever he's got the changeup, he can keep guys off balance and that's what he did today," Montoyo said. "That was good to see. And of course, he located more on all his pitches, but that changeup is huge for him."
"The fifth inning was troublesome for Ryu — he allowed three straight singles, then a sac fly — but an excellent throw from Teoscar Hernández helped him escape the jam.
Gone with the Wynns 😤
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 8, 2021
💪 @TeoscarH 💪 pic.twitter.com/1cYsYrckVw
On the other end, Matt Harvey took the mound for the Orioles. Like Ryu, Harvey's been scuffling — only his cold streak has lasted about 5 years longer. Since the start of the 2016 season, Harvey has pitched 484 innings. During that time, he sports a 6.04 ERA, and his propensity for hard contact was exposed in the first inning.
Cavan Biggio trotted into second base and flashed the 'Deuce' sign, as his double gave Toronto a 3-0 lead. In the fourth inning, Biggio split the shift and ripped a groundball into left field for another double. Three pitches later, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. drove him in with a 101-mph liner up the middle to put Toronto up by four.
Bo Burns 'Em 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FOIBCa0ZX0
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 8, 2021
The Blue Jays sent Harvey to the showers before the fourth was over, tagging him for six earned runs on nine hits. Bo Bichette added a two-run shot in the sixth — his 16th homer of the year — and Toronto finished the night with 15 hits.
Toronto annihilated Orioles pitching, got solid innings from its bullpen and controlled this one from the first inning onwards, making Wednesday the perfect bounce-back effort following a sloppy loss one night prior.
Alek Manoah takes the mound Thursday, where the Blue Jays look to grab one more from the Orioles, before pivoting to a crucial series this weekend at Tropicana Field.
Further Reading:
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Ethan Diamandas is a contributing writer who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for Sports Illustrated. He also writes for Yahoo Sports Canada and MLB.com. Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanDiamandas