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“It wasn’t bad pitching. D-Backs just hit well”

September 12, 2013

Dodgers Korean left-hander makes his first start in 12 days

and loses 6th game of season but feels good physically

Los Angeles Dodgers' Hyun-jin Ryu (99), of South Korea, reacts to a strike call by the umpire while batting against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning of a baseball game on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Hyun-jin Ryu (99), of South Korea, reacts to a called strike by the umpire while batting against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning of a baseball game on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Hyun-Jin Ryu got off to a slow start in his failed bid to win his 14th game of the season against Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night at the Dodger Stadium.

The Los Angeles Dodgers managed to avoid the shutout in the bottom of the seventh inning when Yasiel Puig took left-hander Patrick Corbin deep for his 16th home run but Ryu didn’t receive much run support during the start. They ended up losing 4-1.

It was the 6th loss of the season for the 26-year-old Korean left-hander. Ryu, making his first start in 12 days after skipping a turn with a stiff back, lasted six innings. On giving up three runs on ten hits (after repeatedly getting ahead in the count with two called strikes), he said, “It wasn’t bad pitching on my part. They just guessed well and hit well.” He then added, “If anything good came out of today’s game, it’s that the injury is gone.”

Following is a translation of Ryu’s post-game interview transcript with Korean media.

-How does your back feel?

▲No pain whatsoever. I’m content that I was able to throw without any pain.

-You got off to a slow start. How would you rate your performance tonight?

▲I allowed too many hits and gave up runs early. I made it difficult for myself by falling behind right away. I can find some satisfaction in not giving up anymore runs after the first two innings, although I did get hit more.

-Why do you think you allowed so many hits? Were you rusty?

▲It has nothing to do with the 12-day rest. They hit breaking balls after two strikes. They guessed right and you have to give them some credit.

-Did you physically feel fine during the game?

▲Overall, I felt fine. I tried to be as comfortable as I can out there.

-You seem to be in competition for No. 3 starter spot for post season rotation. Does that make you press a little? Do you feel any more pressure?

▲Not at all. It’s up to players to adjust to any given situation, and I plan on doing whatever I can to help the team win, whatever the roll may be.

-This was the fourth time you’ve faced Arizona.

▲This is the team I’ve faced the most since coming to America. I allowed a lot of hits and runs. I can’t help but to face them a lot since we belong in same division and naturally you get more familiar with each other and study each other more. I plan on studying them a lot also.

-The regular season is almost over. Would you rather rest more and save yourself for the playoffs?

▲I feel fine. I’d like to keep my spot in starting rotation and keep on pitching.

-How was your velocity tonight?

▲It felt a little faster. The rest helped. Speed was okay.

-You got hit throwing breaking balls after getting two called strikes first. How do you explain your ‘out pitch’ not working?

▲They hit breaking balls after two strikes. So, I tried to get them out with my fastball next time, and they hit that, too. Still, because of the adjustments I made, I was able to not allow any more runs.

-Did your catcher call the pitches?

▲Yes, I pitched as he asked, as usual.

-You only have 2-3 starts left in the regular season.

▲I’d like to get my 14th win the next time out and not give up any runs so my earned run average will go down also.

-You are likely to face Arizona next time out also.

▲I’m going to be seeing a lot of videos of Arizona hitters.

-Certain hitters seem to always hit well against you, How do you solve them?

▲It’s not always bad to allow hits to only certain hitters. I don’t dwell on it too much.

-What was it like facing Patrick Corbin for the second time?

▲He got hit a lot too, but didn’t allow any runs.

-You got a hit off him.

▲I just waited for some straight stuff. When I got in the batters’ box in the second inning with runners on, he really pitched well. When I got a hit off him, he wasn’t throwing as hard.