RYU faces off against 100-mile express newcomer… no scratch, no answer

The Toronto Blue Jays’ Hyun-jin Ryu looks for his second win of the season as they host the Cincinnati Reds. He’ll be facing top prospect Hunter Green.메이저놀이터

Ryu will take the mound against the Reds at 2:40 a.m. ET on June 21 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Green is a monster prospect who caught the attention of the entire Major League Baseball organization before his debut. He was dubbed a flame baller rather than a fire baller because he throws 100 miles per hour with ease.

However, like most hard-throwing pitchers, Green has a weakness: inconsistent command.

Green made his debut last year and appeared in 24 games. He went 5-13 with a 4.44 ERA. It wasn’t a season where Cincinnati was challenging for the postseason, so Green was consistently given opportunities regardless of the outcome. He would get beat up, but he’d have a quality start-plus outing about once every four or five games.

This year has been slightly better. In 14 games, he’s 2-4 with a 3.93 ERA. He’s had eight games where he’s been pulled before the sixth inning, but he’s also had four games where he’s gone six or more innings and allowed two runs or less. On his best days, he’s a very difficult pitcher to catch.

Ryu made his return in June 2022, one year and two months after undergoing Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament repair).

After returning to the rotation, he went 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 14 innings in three games. It’s encouraging to see that his pitches are getting better with each game.

Ryu has appeared in eight career games against Cincinnati. He has a 5-2 record with a 3.23 ERA. However, his two losses have both come on the road. At Great American Ball Park, he’s 2-2 with a 3.52 ERA in four starts, giving up slightly more runs.

Outside of Joey Votto, virtually no batters in the Cincinnati lineup are familiar with Ryu.

This is a three-game series where both Toronto and Cincinnati have their hands full. Toronto is hanging on to the third wild-card spot in the American League, but trails the Seattle Mariners by just half a game. Cincinnati is fourth in the National League Wild Card race, with no wins and a game behind the third-place Chicago Cubs.