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Blue Jays’ Ryu Hyun-jin scheduled to face Orioles in weekend doubleheader

September 10, 2021

With his minor arm trouble behind him, Toronto Blue Jays’ starter Ryu Hyun-jin is scheduled to make his next start in a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on the weekend.

The Blue Jays, currently in New York for a road trip, announced on Thursday (local time) the South Korean left-hander will start the second game of a twin bill against the Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Saturday.

The first game is scheduled to begin at 4:35 p.m. Saturday in Baltimore, or 5:35 a.m. Sunday in Seoul.

Ryu experienced some tightness in his left forearm after throwing 80 pitches against the New York Yankees in his most recent start on Monday. Ryu relied on a hard slider to piece together six shutout innings and earn his 13th win of the season. But Ryu hadn’t thrown that pitch much in the past and he felt some discomfort in his pitching arm afterward.

Both Ryu and his manager Charlie Montoyo insisted the problem wasn’t serious at all, and the club confirmed that by listing him as a probable starter on Saturday.

Ryu has gone 3-1 with a 3.33 ERA in five starts this year against the Orioles, the worst team in the American League (AL) at 45-94 (check). That’s more wins than against any other opponent for Ryu.

That lone loss against the O’s came on Aug. 31. Ryu carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. After two outs in that frame, Ryu allowed, in succession, a double, a single, a walk and another double, as the Orioles put up three quick runs en route to a 4-2 win.

At 13-8, Ryu is second in the AL in wins, one behind Gerrit Cole of the Yankees. With one more win, Ryu will also match his career high for a season.

He notched 14 wins in 2013, 2014 and 2019, all as a member of the Los Angeles dodgers.

With Ryu doing his part, the surging Blue Jays now find themselves in the thick of the AL Wild Card race. They defeated the Yankees 6-4 on Thursday to extend their winning streak to eight games and complete a four-game sweep of their AL East division rivals.

The Blue Jays, at 77-62, now sit only a half game behind the Yankees (78-62) for the second AL Wild Card berth and 1.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox (80-62) for the top spot. The Blue Jays also have a game in hand on New York and three in hand on Boston.

The Blue Jays have won eight straight games for the first time since 2015, which is also the last time they won the AL East crown. They also became the first visiting team ever to sweep a four-game series at Yankee Stadium without trailing.