Leaving the dizzying moment behind, Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto) will try again for his first victory after returning. The opponent is the 안전놀이터 Chicago Cubs. It is one of the hottest teams in the entire big league recently. Old teammate Cody Bellinger is at the center of the lineup.
Ryu Hyun-jin will start against the Chicago Cubs at the Toronto Rogers Center on the 14th (2:37 am Korean time). This is the third sortie after elbow ligament surgery and rehabilitation last June. Ryu Hyun-jin became the losing pitcher with 4 runs in 5 innings against Baltimore on the 2nd. In the game against Cleveland on the 8th, he was hit in the right leg by a pitcher’s straight hit while continuing his ‘no-hit’ perfect pitch. He handled the batting and recorded 4 scoreless innings, but could no longer throw the ball, and his first win in his return had to be postponed to the next opportunity.
The Chicago Cubs, which Ryu Hyun-jin, who avoided major injury concerns, will face is a formidable opponent. It is on the rise with 15 wins and 5 losses in the last 20 games and 7 wins and 3 losses in 10 games. The level of difficulty is high even compared to the previous opponent, Cleveland. In terms of OPS against left-handed opponents, Cleveland is the lowest in the league with 0.648, and the Chicago Cubs is 13th with 0.755. It is similar to Baltimore (0.758), the first opponent.
The opponent to watch is Bellinger, who played with the LA Dodgers. Bellinger, who went downhill after winning the National League MVP in 2019, made a perfect comeback this season. With a batting average of 0.329, an OPS of 0.938, and 18 home runs, he is recording a record comparable to his prime.
Bellinger, a left-handed hitter, is stronger against left-handed pitchers. This season, the OPS against right pitchers is 0.832 and 1.074 against left pitchers. How to deal with Bellinger is the primary task for his first win in his comeback.
Ryu Hyun-jin’s Toronto suffered a three-game losing streak by losing 4-5 to the Chicago Cubs on the 13th. With a record of 65 wins and 54 losses, they are holding the third place, the last car of the wild card, but Seattle caught up with them by 0.5 games. Ryu Hyun-jin’s shoulders became even heavier.