Kim Ha-seong San Diego, Bae Ji-hwan Pittsburgh, slim chances for PS
Toronto desperate for 1 win, Hyun-jin Ryu to start 2nd game against Colorado
Reporter Lee Sang-cheol = The San Diego Padres, the team of Kim Ha-seong (27) and Choi Ji-man (32), have lost three straight games, effectively eliminating them from fall baseball. With 27 games remaining, the Padres are 62-73, 8.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants (70-64) for the third wild-card spot in the National League.
Bae Ji-hwan, 24, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are in fourth place in the National League Central, are also out of the postseason. Pittsburgh (61-73) has one fewer win than San Diego.
It could be the first Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason without a Korean big leaguer, leaving “eldest brother” Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays) as the only hope.
Toronto has the best record of any team with a Korean big leaguer at 73-61 on Day 1. However, they are 10.5 games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles (83-50) in the American League East and will have to play for the wild card.
Toronto currently sits in the fourth wild card spot and needs to move up at least one spot to make the postseason. It’s not impossible.
The Jays are 3.5 games back of the second wild card, the Houston Astros (77-58), and 2.5 games back of the third wild card, the Texas Rangers (75-58). That’s a distance that could change their fate depending on the outcome of their remaining games.
The key will be if Toronto can ride a steady upward trend. Through 27 games in the month of August local time, Toronto has a 14-13 record for a winning percentage of just over 5%. They struggled when it mattered most, when they were in the thick of the race.
Starting on September 12, Toronto will host wild-card contender Texas, followed by a pair of tough American League East teams.
Before that, they’ll need to rebound and build on their momentum with a nine-game series against the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, and Kansas City Royals. Colorado, Oakland, and Kansas City are all underdogs with winning percentages in the low 3s, sitting at the bottom of their respective divisions.
With a crucial series on the line, Hyun-jin Ryu has a lot on his plate. Ryu will take the mound against Colorado at 9:40 a.m. ET on April 2 at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.카지노사이트
Pitching at Coors Field, notorious for being a “pitcher’s graveyard,” can be intimidating, but it’s a condition that Colorado pitchers also face. In his most recent start at Coors Field, on August 1, 2019, Hyun-jin Ryu threw six innings of three-hit ball with one walk and one strikeout.
Toronto doesn’t have a bad offense, scoring 32 runs in their last five games. If Hyun-jin Ryu can hold them to a minimum, they’ll have a better chance of winning.
It’s only been a month since he returned to the majors after recovering from an elbow injury, but Ryu has been a solid bluebird. Even without his velocity, he’s overwhelmed hitters with his powerful changeup and curveball, precise delivery, and savvy defense. Toronto is 4-1 in Ryu’s last five starts, and he has a high winning percentage.
If Ryu can continue his dominance against Colorado and lead the team to a fourth straight victory, Toronto’s fall baseball hopes could grow.