Hyun-Jin Ryu emerged from his simulated game Wednesday without any setbacks, and the left-hander will start Game 3 of the National League Division Series. Right-hander Dan Haren will start Game 4, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Thursday.
Ryu said his shoulder feels better now, 20 days after he left his most recent start due to a shoulder injury, than he did at a similar point after his last shoulder injury in April:
Mattingly said that Ryu’s pitch-count limit will be no different than the 100-to-110 range he’s been at all season. Ryu’s highes pitch total of the season was 114 on Sept. 6. Six days later, he suffered the should injury and made his shortest start of the season.
Can the Dodgers reasonably expect Ryu to throw more than 100 pitches?
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said.
Tim Federowicz, who caught Ryu’s simulated game, said that the pitcher didn’t allow the equivalent of a solid hit while facing a lineup including Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, Dee Gordon and Scott Van Slyke.
“He’ll be good to go,” Federowicz said.