Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin overcomes command issues, elements to beat Cleveland

▲ In this Associated Press photo, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Cleveland Indians in the bottom of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game at Progressive Field in Cleveland on May 28, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ In this Getty Images photo, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Cleveland Indians in the bottom of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game at Progressive Field in Cleveland on May 28, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ In this Getty Images photo, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Cleveland Indians in the bottom of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game at Progressive Field in Cleveland on May 28, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ In this USA Today Sports photo via Reuters, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Cleveland Indians in the bottom of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game at Progressive Field in Cleveland on May 28, 2021. (Yonhap)

MLB-pitcher

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin overcomes command issues, elements to beat Cleveland

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- Aided by much-welcomed run support, Toronto Blue Jays' ace Ryu Hyun-jin battled some early command issues and elements to pick up his fourth straight victory in a weather-shortened game.

Ryu pitched five up-and-down innings against the Cleveland Indians, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks in an 11-2 victory at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Friday (local time). He improved to 5-2 for the year, and his ERA went up slightly from 2.53 to 2.62.

The game was called after the top of the seventh inning due to rainstorms in the area.

Ryu entered this game having pitched into the seventh inning in each of his past three starts, and he had a 1.31 ERA in that span.

But he was wobbly in the first inning, as he loaded the bases with one out after giving up two singles and a walk.

Eddie Rosario made Ryu pay with a two-run single to right field. Ryu struck out Owen Miller but then walked Josh Naylor to load the bases again.

This was the first time Ryu walked two batters in a game all season.

Ryu finally got out of the inning by retiring Yu Chang on a pop fly but needed 32 pitches just to get through the opening frame.

The Blue Jays responded with two runs in the top of the second to tie the game up at 2-2, but Ryu continued to fight his command in the second inning, as rain started to fall almost sideways. He managed to retire the side in order, recording two strikeouts in the process.

Ryu's teammates gave him more support in the third, as they jumped on Cleveland's rookie starter, Eli Morgan, for four more runs, highlighted by Joe Panik's two-run blast.

Staked to a 6-2 lead, Ryu pitched around an infield single in the third and had a three-up, three-down inning in the fourth.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays kept swinging the hot bat on the chilly night. In the top of the fifth, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled home two more runs, and he came around to score on Panik's follow-up single that made it 9-2 Toronto.

Ryu was now in cruise control He retired the side in order again in the fifth and picked up his sixth strikeout of the game.

Then in the top of the sixth, Santiago Espinal put the Jays ahead 11-2 with a two-run single. Those 11 runs were the most the Blue Jays have scored with Ryu on the mound this season.

With Ryu's pitch count up to 91 and a comfortable lead, the Blue Jays chose not to send their starter out in the sixth. Trent Thornton threw a scoreless sixth and then the game was called before the Indians batted in the seventh.

Ryu allowed three hits and two walks in the shaky first inning, but he kept the Indians to just one more hit the rest of his day.

(END)

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