Ryu likely to get spot in Dodgers rotation

류현진

Ryu Hyun-jin is almost sure to get a spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation, manager Don Mattingly said after the Korean pitcher’s second preseason victory yesterday (Korean time).

Ryu allowed two runs while striking out five over seven innings in a 10-4 victory against the Chicago White Sox. It is his second victory in the U.S. after surrendering a run over nearly six innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 18. His ERA has dropped from 4.41 to 3.86.

“It’s hard to say the guy wouldn’t be in the rotation the way he’s pitched,” Mattingly said after the game, according to MLB.com.

The 25-year-old also recorded his first hit with the Dodgers against White Sox starter Jake Peavy, who won the National League Cy Young Award in 2007. The Dodgers will open the 2013 season with three straight games against the defending champions, the San Francisco Giants, from April 1-3.

By Moon Gwang-lip