Another Game, Another Loss For The Marlins
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LOS ANGELES (CBSMiami) - Hyun-Jin Ryu has exhibited a wonderful sense of humor throughout his stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ryu showed it again Thursday by texting a picture of a bruise on his right biceps to the opposing pitcher, Miami Marlins right-hander Edinson Volquez, who hit him with a pitch in the fourth inning.
"He's a good friend of mine. We spent some time together in L.A. when I was with the Dodgers," said a grinning Volquez, who briefly pitched with the Dodgers during the 2013 season. "He'll be OK."
Yasiel Puig homered, Ryu got the win, and the Dodgers handed the woeful Marlins their fourth straight loss with a 7-2 decision on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.
Puig and Chase Utley, who went 2-for-2 with a walk, had two RBIs apiece for the Dodgers, who ended a four-game skid at home against the Marlins.
Despite some hard-hit line drives, Ryu (2-5) allowed only two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. Relievers Chris Hatcher, Luis Avilan and Josh Fields combined for 2 1/3 hitless innings before Kenley Jansen struck out the final four batters for his eighth save.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts singled out Hatcher retiring J.T. Realmuto and Christian Colon to close the sixth as being key to the outcome.
"Credit to those guys," Roberts said of his bullpen. "Those two outs were huge. That changed the momentum of the game."
Ryu left in the sixth after being hit in the leg by a Justin Bour comebacker.
"Today, it was Dave's call probably because I gave up a (couple of singles), so he just made that decision to pull me out," said Ryu, who is 2-1 with a 3.78 ERA in three starts at home.
Bour and Christian Yelich homered for the Marlins (14-26), who have dropped 18 of their past 22 games.
Volquez (0-6) gave up five runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and three walks in six innings. All of the runs came in the opening three innings. He is winless in 15 consecutive starts.
In 10 starts against the Dodgers, Volquez is 3-5 with a 4.63 ERA.
"He hung in there and in a sense kept us in the game," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "He kept it at five (runs) and gave our guys a chance. We had a couple of shots there to get a big hit and (weren't) able to do it."
Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner left the game at the end of the seventh after sustaining an apparent hamstring injury. Turner, who hurt himself attempting to score from second on a single by Yasmani Grandal, will be re-evaluated on Friday.
"I know to my eyes it didn't look good coming off third base," Roberts said. "But for the strength to still be there right now (is reason) to be a little optimistic."
In the first inning, consecutive singles by Utley, Corey Seager and Turner loaded the bases for the Dodgers (24-18). Cody Bellinger followed by driving home Utley on a fielder's choice for a 1-0 lead.
Bour laced a 1-0 Ryu pitch into the seats in right for his ninth homer to tie the score in the second inning.
In the second, Puig put the Dodgers back in front 3-1 with a two-run homer off Volquez with one out. It was the team-leading eighth home run for Puig. Seven of those have come at Dodger Stadium.
Utley's RBI single later in the second made it 4-1. Yelich smacked a solo shot, his sixth, in the third to slice the margin to two runs.
Adrian Gonzalez's run-scoring single in the third plated Turner, who reached on a walk and stole second, for a 5-2 advantage.
Utley hit an eighth-inning sacrifice fly, and Chris Taylor's bases-loaded walk later in the inning capped the scoring.
By The Sports Xchange
