Dodgers @ Cardinals May 31, 2017: Ryu’s rotation return

Yesterday’s victory was the Dodgers’ sixth in a row. It moved them into sole possession of first place, and put them at a season-high 13 games above .500, at 33-20. It also secured at least a series split with the Cardinals, who are now a game below .500 at 24-25. Tonight, the Dodgers go for the series win.

Dodgers
Cardinals
5:15 PM
St. Louis
3B
Forsythe
CF
Fowler
SS
Seager
1B
Carpenter
C
Grandal
C
Molina
1B
González
3B
Gyorko
2B
Utley
LF
Pham
LF
Bellinger
RF
Piscotty
CF
Taylor 2B DeJong
RF
Hernández
SS
Díaz
P
Ryu (L)
P
Martínez (R)

Hyun-Jin Ryu (4.28 ERA, 5.24 FIP, 1.500 WHIP) will make his eighth start of the season, and his first since May 18. His most recent appearance was his four scoreless innings of relief on May 25. While the plan was for Ryu to get more work out of the bullpen, it didn’t take long for him to be inserted back into the starting rotation, as Alex Wood, who was set to start today, hit the disabled list with left SC joint inflammation.

Carlos Martínez (3.32 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.138 WHIP) is on the mound for St. Louis, making his 11th start of 2017. Martínez struggled a bit in the first month of the season, but he’s been very good in May. In each of his five starts this month, Martínez has pitched at least six innings, and has given up no more than three runs. Martínez missed the Dodgers in the last series, and this will be his first time facing them since May 14 of last year, when he allowed four runs on five hits and three walks in five innings pitched.

After a day off, Corey Seager is back in the starting lineup, batting second. Enrique Hernández is batting eighth and making his fourth start of the year in right field, while Yasiel Puig gets the night off.

——

In today’s news, there are several injured Dodgers who may have a while before coming back.

It really speaks to the depth of the Dodgers outfield that we seldom have occasion to think about Andre Ethier. Nevertheless, get well soon, Dre.

In old friend news, the Cardinals gave Jonathan Broxton his unconditional release today.

Many Dodger fans will remember Broxton for a few unfortunate moments and an early decline due to overuse, but there’s no denying that he gave the Dodgers several good seasons. Best of luck, big guy.

About Sarah Wexler

Sarah Wexler is a native Angeleno and longtime Dodger fan. She began blogging about baseball in 2012 on her Tumblr, New Grass On The Field, where she covered an array of topics but especially enjoyed exploring baseball history. She is now a reporter/producer for MLB.com. She earned her master's degree in Sports Management from Cal State Long Beach. She graduated from New York University in 2014 with a bachelor's in History and a minor in American Studies. She's an avid Springsteen fan, which is a big boost to her baseball writer cred.