
I Dig Sports

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – The Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli championship took a dramatic turn in the series’ 47th visit to Road America in Saturday’s Ryan Companies 100.
Ernie Francis Jr. scored his third victory of the season and took the TA class championship lead in the No. 98 Breathless Racing Frameless Shower Doors Ford Mustang. Boris Said came home second, while Cliff Ebben completed the podium, with the Wisconsin driver of the No. 36 Stumpf Ford/Machavern Group/Lamers Racing Ford Mustang prevailing in a spirited late-race battle with Amy Ruman in the No. 23 McNichols Co. Chevrolet Corvette.
Francis run to victory followed a torrid early battle with pole sitter Chris Dyson in the No. 20 Plaid Ford Mustang.
The two cars were running within a half-second of each other before Dyson spun in his race-leading Mustang on the 10th lap in turn five of the 4-mile circuit. The spin gave the lead to Francis, who was closely followed by popular veteran Boris Said in the No. 3 Elavon/Burtin Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Francis gradually built his advantage, winning over Said by 35.842 seconds.
“It was a real good race between Chris and I,” said Francis, who made it two-in-a-row after winning at Mid-Ohio. “We were going back and forth with the fastest lap. Then lapped traffic began to play a factor, and I was able to close in a little bit and put on the pressure. Then, coming into the brake zone for Turn 5, he got a little too much wheel hop into it, and I was able to go around.
“After that, I was able to pull out a gap and maintain a decent pace to take it home for the finish,” continued Francis. “I was keeping an eye on Boris. It was really great for points this weekend, and I couldn’t be prouder of the guys at Breathless Racing preparing the Frameless Shower Doors Mustang. The car was awesome all weekend. These are the kind of results we need at the end of the season, trying to pull out a championship.”
Dyson entered Saturday with a five-point lead over Francis in the standings. However, the New Yorker began experiencing problems early in the race.
“Unfortunately, we had a brake problem that was developing early on,” Dyson explained. “It’s a shame, but around this place you’ve got to have your brakes working right. We had speed today. We were quick, even with the brakes not quite right. I’m frustrated with myself, and I’m frustrated for the team, but you can’t drive this place if the car’s not stopping right.”
Dyson picked up a puncture on the early 10 spin and pitted. He worked his way back to eighth but spun again in Turn 5 on Lap 18, sustaining terminal right-front damage.
“We put a new left-rear on and went back out,” Dyson said. “The brakes seemed to have come back, but then they rapidly, rapidly faded, and I was braking earlier and earlier. Then I got down to Turn 5, hit the brakes, and I had nothing. Rather than take out Cindi Lux in the car in front of us, I just ditched and grazed the wall, trying to minimize the damage.”
Said was only three seconds behind the leaders when Dyson had his initial spin, but he also had mechanical problems down the stretch.
“I thought I had something for Ernie, but then we had a gearbox issue,” Said explained. “In the end, I only had fifth gear and was nursing it to the finish.”
Denny Lamers was the TA Masters winner, finishing eighth in the No. 66 Stumpf Ford/Machavern Group/Lamers Racing Ford Mustang.
Tim Kezman made a winning SGT debut in the No. 64 Fall-Line Motorsports Lemons of Love Audi R8 LMS.
“We jumped out front and had a pretty good run,” Kezman said. “I had some pressure early on, but I stayed the course. The car was great. My first time in this car was in practice on Friday, and the Audi is a fun car to drive. Fall-Line does an amazing job preparing the car. We had some issues with traffic, but we managed to keep it clean and bring it home in one piece.”
Kezeman won at Indianapolis in a Fall-Line Porsche, and finished third in that car at Mid-Ohio.
“I’ll be at the next race at Watkins Glen,” Kezman said. “I’ll probably be back in the Audi, because I think it will be a great car for The Glen.”
Ken Twaits finished second in the No. 5 Wilwood Brakes/Franklin Road Apparel Audi R8 LMS. Jason Daskalos completed the podium in the No. 27 Vintage 423 Dodge Viper, followed by SGT points leader Mark Boden in the No. 46 Fall-Line Racing Beverage Flavors International Porsche 991 GT3.
Jeff Courtney, the lone entrant in the GT class, finished 22nd overall to score his second victory of the season in the 99 Matrix/RecStuff.com/Kendra Maserati GT4.
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ATLANTA – Weather has halted play for the second consecutive day at the Tour Championship.
The horn blew at 4:17 p.m. ET with the last group, which included leader Justin Thomas, on the sixth hole and just four third rounds completed at East Lake.
Although players sought shelter in the clubhouse, they were told by officials that the storm should move through the area quickly.
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MANCHESTER, England -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he is "lost for words" after a second Manchester United player was racially abused on social media.
Marcus Rashford was sent a series of racist tweets after missing a penalty during the team's 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday, just five days after similar incidents involving Paul Pogba.
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"It's the same as we spoke about before the weekend; it needs to stop," Solskjaer said at a news conference. "I'm just lost for words. They keep hiding behind fake IDs and it's crazy we talk about this in 2019."
Rashford missed from the spot in the second half after Jordan Ayew had scored after 32 minutes, marking Palace's first league goal at Old Trafford in 15 years.
Daniel James eventually equalised two minutes from time, only for Patrick van Aanholt to score the winner in the third minute of injury time after beating David De Gea at his near post.
"I think we didn't have enough urgency and penetration," said Solskjaer. "[The first goal] was one long kick, such an easy goal, and the last goal, David has not touched the ball [all game] and they score again. Sometimes that'll be the case -- teams will come here and defend against us."
Solskjaer said he was also frustrated by referee Paul Tierney's decision to punish Gary Cahill with just a yellow card in the first half after he pulled back Anthony Martial when the Frenchman looked to be through on goal.
The Norwegian also felt his team should have been awarded a penalty when Martial appeared to be fouled by Martin Kelly in the area -- a decision that was not overturned by the VAR.
"I think we were unlucky with Martial's clear and obvious penalty," said Solskjaer. "It's a nailed on one and when the ref sees the game he'll know he's not had his best. It's a nailed on penalty, he won't slip if he doesn't have a centre back on his shoulders."
United lost Luke Shaw to an injury in the first half, but Solskjaer hopes it is not serious ahead of next Saturday's trip to Southampton, Shaw's former club.
"We'll do the scans tomorrow, but he felt something in his hamstring," Solskjaer said. "Hopefully, it won't be too bad and I hope he is going to be back for Southampton."
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Man United show familiar failings in loss to Crystal Palace
Published in
Soccer
Saturday, 24 August 2019 14:04

MANCHESTER, England -- Soft goals conceded, David De Gea mistakes and losing games they should not; for Manchester United, Saturday's defeat to Crystal Palace had a feeling of last season about it, rather than pertaining to a new era under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
There was enough in the first two games of the season, which brought victory against Chelsea and a draw at Wolves, to suggest things were moving in the right direction. However, this 2-1 reverse -- Palace's first win at Old Trafford since 1989 -- was a reality check for home fans.
Many streamed out after Patrick van Aanholt's stoppage-time winner, no doubt feeling they had seen it all before; United conceded two poor goals, and at the other end, a lack of creativity restricted the hosts to just three shots on target.
These were the same problems that contributed to a run of eight defeats from 12 games at the end of last season, which followed wins in 14 of Solskjaer's first 17 games in charge. There remains a sense that fans are waiting to find out which version of is the truth: Will the real Manchester United please stand up?
Solskjaer was quick to say after this latest setback that his team are two converted penalties away from sitting at the top of the Premier League table with nine points from nine, but that ignores obvious problems.
United are short of creative options in midfield and prolific scorers up front and this is unlikely to be the last time this season a team visits Old Trafford to defend deep and attack on the break. Neil Warnock pulled it off with relegated Cardiff on the final day of last season and his fellow septuagenarian Roy Hodgson oversaw a similar display as previously winless Palace played things perfectly.
Not that they were without help, for United seemed determined to shoot themselves in the foot. The first goal came from a simple punt up field: Jeffrey Schlupp flicked on after outjumping Victor Lindelof and Jordan Ayew took advantage of Harry Maguire's poor positioning to roll his finish past De Gea.
If that was bad, Palace's winner was even worse. After United finally found an equaliser in the 89th minute through Daniel James' excellent curling finish, Paul Pogba gave the ball away in midfield and the subsequent breakaway led to Van Aanholt rifling a shot that should have been saved at his near post by De Gea, but instead squirmed into the net.
The goalkeeper's form became a problem during that dire run at the end of last season and Solskjaer will hope De Gea's latest gaffe is a one-off, rather than a sign of things to come. After all, the manager has enough on his plate without having to worry about changing his goalkeeper, specifically what is happening at the other end of the pitch.
- Ratings: De Gea error condemns Man United vs. Palace
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United had 77% possession on a warm, sunny day, but could only muster three shots on target and this was not a defeat that was down to heroics from the visiting goalkeeper because Vicente Guaita barely had a save to make. Indeed, he was not even stretched by United's latest penalty fiasco; Marcus Rashford stepped up ahead of Pogba, only to see his spot kick hit the post.
Luck, so often with United last season, deserted them again, but Solskjaer's men also ran out of ideas, having realised it was not possible to counter attack against a team defending so deep. It was entirely predictable, some might argue, and highlighted yet again that, while Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka solidify the defence, there is a lack of invention further forward and the attacking options are weaker after the departure of Romelu Lukaku.
The now-Inter striker split opinion among United supporters, but he averaged a goal every two games and no other player boasts a similar ratio. When Solskjaer turned to his bench in the second half on Saturday, he could only throw on 17-year-old Mason Greenwood.
It is positive that the club has so much faith in such a young player and Greenwood does have enormous potential, but it is a lot to expect a teenager without a competitive senior goal to change a game. He will eventually, but not yet.
Defeat to Crystal Palace is not a disaster -- it is only the third week of the season, after all -- but it did show the problems that remain. One former United player was heard telling a group of fans "we are c--p" as he left the stadium on Saturday evening. While the situation is not quite that bad, the hangover of last season is still causing Solskjaer a headache.
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Arsenal's winless run against Liverpool extended to 10 games as the visitors were comfortably beaten 3-1 at Anfield. The Gunners were blown away by Joel Matip's header and a Mohamed Salah brace, before Lucas Torreira netted a late consolation.
Positives
Despite ultimately being on the wrong end of the scoreline, Arsenal's game plan worked for most of the first half. Their defensive capabilities have come into question all too often, but there was willingness to play out from the back against Liverpool's energy. Nicolas Pepe also showed promise; on another day his curling effort could have opened the scoring.
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Negatives
Arsenal struggled to cope with Liverpool's high press and found their penalty area bombarded during the early stages, while a diamond formation in midfield led to further exposure in wide areas against full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson. At 1-0 down there was still hope, but a calamitous 10 minutes from David Luiz then gifted Liverpool two second-half goals.
Manager rating out of 10
4 -- Emery gave Pepe his first start in place of Alexandre Lacazette, while Granit Xhaka returned to the starting 11 at the expense of Reiss Nelson. A defensive approach was probably the right idea against a lethal front three, but despite a strong final 10 minutes, his side never really managed to get a foothold in the game after the break.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Bernd Leno, 5 -- Could not do much about any of the Liverpool goals. Leno produced some good routine stops, but was ultimately exposed by a poor defensive display against ruthless opposition.
DF Ainsley Maitland-Niles, 4 -- Given a torrid time by Robertson and Roberto Firminho, he never looked comfortable.
DF David Luiz, 3 -- His 250th Premier League appearance will not live long in the memory after he gave away a penalty with a naive shirt pull on Salah and was left eating dust by the same player for Liverpool's third.
DF Sokratis Papastathopoulos, 5 -- Thwarted a dangerous Salah run with a strong, perfectly-timed challenge in the first half and generally demonstrated willingness to put his body on the line, but those efforts were ultimately in vain.
DF Nacho Monreal, 4 -- Made a couple of important interceptions, but this was far from his best display.
MF Matteo Guendouzi, 5 -- Crucial in helping Arsenal get a foothold in a high-tempo first half, but was too focused on Virgil Van Dijk as Matip headed in the game's opening goal.
MF Granit Xhaka, 4 -- Made the lineup after passing a late fitness test, but struggled to cope with high tempo. He did, at least, manage to play the full 90 minutes.
MF Joe Willock, 5 -- Beat Alexander-Arnold with lovely trickery, but that was his only contribution of note. Willock's passing was sloppy and he was shrugged off the ball too easily by Sadio Mane as Liverpool nearly doubled their lead just before half-time.
MF Dani Ceballos, 4 -- Failing to build on a dazzling performance against Burnley, he made little impact and was replaced by Lucas Torreira on the hour.
FW Nicolas Pepe, 7 -- Arsenal's standout performer, Pepe showed pace and promise in his first start for the club. He was unfortunate not to open the scoring with a curling effort and looked dangerous on the counter.
FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 6 -- Unlucky to see a 20-yard lob drop inches wide when the game was goalless, but Aubameyang generally lacked his usual cutting edge and looked unusually hesitant when he found himself clean through later. He did set up Torreira's consolation strike.
Substitutes
MF Lucas Torreira, 6 -- Showed great composure to score in front of The Kop, but did little to change the course of a game that was already over by the time he was introduced.
FW Alexandre Lacazette, NR - Replaced Willock in the 80th minute and showed some attacking intent and signs of positive link-up play.
MF Henrikh Mkhitaryan, NR -- Introduced in place of Guendouzi in the 86th minute, he had no time to make an impact.
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Liverpool continued their perfect start to the season, comprehensively beating Arsenal 3-1 to stay atop the Premier League. A first-half header from Joel Matip and a brace from Mohamed Salah after the break saw Jurgen Klopp's men take command, before Lucas Torreira bagged a late salvo for the Gunners.
Positives
Three games, three wins and nine goals. Jurgen Klopp's men have started the season in dream fashion, and after Man City's slip against Tottenham, Liverpool have turned up the heat early on the two-time defending champions.
Salah was at his very best in the second half -- Liverpool are an extremely tough proposition when they have their main man firing on all cylinders -- while another goal for Joel Matip is a bonus. Alongside Virgil van Dijk, now the Reds have two centre-backs that opposing teams need to worry about from set pieces.
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Negatives
Conceding late will leave a sour taste, and goalkeeper Adrian still awaits his first clean sheet. There were nervy moments in the first half -- Adrian's turnover and a poor Jordan Henderson touch to be specific -- but Liverpool were much improved in the second period.
Manager rating out of 10
7 -- Klopp has his team at the top of the table and, after winning the Champions League last season, Liverpool supporters can dream of a first league title since 1990. The players followed their manager's game plan to perfection and, against what looks to be a serious top-four contender, Liverpool were dominant.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Adrian, 6 -- One run and slide outside his area nearly ended in disaster but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's lob went wide. Adrian made some important saves, notably a good breakaway stop on Nicolas Pepe, but his play with his feet continues to worry, even if there was no repeat of his Southampton howler. He has done an admirable job, but Alisson's return cannot come soon enough.
DF Trent Alexander-Arnold, 7 -- After bursting onto the scene last season with 12 Premier League assists, the 20-year-old picked up his second of this campaign with a beautiful inswinging corner for Matip's header. Is there a better set-piece taker in Europe than the 20-year-old?
DF Joel Matip, 8 -- The Cameroon international's dramatic turnaround at Anfield continues. Matip, who scored one goal in 31 games last season, netted his second in four games this campaign, following his equalizer in the Community Shield.
DF Virgil van Dijk, 7 -- Steady as always and a real leader at the back. Van Dijk had a comfortable day and although it was not his flashiest performance, dealt well with the threat of Arsenal's heralded front three.
DF Andy Robertson, 7 -- Always a threat in attack, Robertson has become one of Liverpool's most important players. He did not find any joy in terms of end product, but did a fine job going forward and in defence.
MF Georginio Wijnaldum, 7 -- All-action and all-energy is his trademark and Wijnaldum had the Liverpool team ticking from midfield. Moreover, at times he showcased some real moments of skill.
MF Jordan Henderson, 6 -- He was a driving force, but had to be bailed out by Adrian after a fluffed touch in the 34th minute and later missed a tackle on Torreira ahead of Arsenal's late consolation. Henderson must avoid those isolated mistakes if he wants to hold on to his starting place.
MF Fabinho, 7 -- Good in the advanced midfield role, Fabinho survived an early mistake and improved as the game wore on. He played the pass that led to Salah's second goal, although the Egyptian did most of the work, leaving Luiz in the dust.
FW Sadio Mane, 6 -- Mane has been in blistering form, but it did not seem to come off for him on Saturday, as he had attempts saved and blocked, while a wide-open header went sailing over the bar.
FW Roberto Firmino, 8 -- No goals or assists but the Brazilian striker was integral to Liverpool's success. He picked out Salah with a brilliant pass to draw the penalty for the second goal and Firmino did his usual work in terms of drawing attention and proving a threat.
FW Mohamed Salah, 9 -- Slotted his penalty with authority and then absolutely bamboozled Luiz for his second goal, losing the Brazilian defender with a quick turn before flying in from the right to expertly finish low into the far corner. Salah is back to his best in the early part of 2019-20. Is the Ballon d'Or in his future?
Substitutes
MF James Milner, 6 -- Came on for Wijnaldum and picked up where the Dutchman left off in terms of running. Never afraid of making a tackle, either.
MF Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, NR -- Came on for Mane and didn't do too much. It is just good to see him back on the pitch after his injury-ruined 2018-19.
MF Adam Lallana, NR -- Only on for four minutes, replacing Firmino.
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England 67 and 156 for 3 (Root 75*, Denly 50) trail Australia 179 and 246 (Labuschagne 80) by 202 runs
Josh Hazlewood beat Joe Root's bat by a lick of paint with a ball that buzzed outside off stump just inside the last hour of yet another dramatic day of this Ashes series. The hint of a smile at the corners of Root's mouth spread into a nonchalant grin as he eyeballed the fast bowler who was following up his leather-bound assault with a little verbal one.
The pair were locked in battle, just as their respective sides were, playing out a scene that had seemed so very unlikley just hours earlier at the start of play on day three of the third Test at Headingly.
Root and Joe Denly - two England batsmen needing big scores as much as any - had dug in and turned the match on its head, a recurring theme in a series that has seen momentum swings , twists and turns throughout. The pair put on a 126-run partnership, Denly reaching his second Test fifty, and Root unbeaten on 75 at the close.
The 67 all out England coughed up in their first inings had heaped more pressure on England's batting lineup and these two hadn't escaped - far from it. Questions swirled over the influence Root's role as captain and his move one place up the order to No. 3 was having on his battting performance and Denly was struggling to establish himself as a Test player in his sixth match.
But the pair came together after England had stumbled again to 15 for 2 in their second innings chasing a lofty target of 359, set when Australia resumed on 171 for 6 and Marnus Labuschagne, who was not out on 53, proceeded to reach 80 and top score for the tourists for the third time in as many innings as he guided them 246 all out.
In reply, England lost thier openers cheaply, Rory Burns to a Hazlewood delivery he should have left but which he prodded to David Warner at first slip and Jason Roy to a gem from Pat Cummins which zeroed in on off stump. It looked like Australia, who lead the series 1-0 would have retained the Ashes by the end of the day.
But some dogged batting from Root and Denly frustrated Australia's bowlers, as demonstrated in that exchange between Hazlewood and Root, which didn't end there. Hazlewood followed up immediately with another ball that beat Root's bat moving away slightly off the seam, and then a length ball that had the batsman shouldering arms and copping another earful.
It was an intense and important spell from Hazlewood, who had taken 5 for 30 in England's first innings. Nathan Lyon kept Denly on his toes in the next over, with a big appeal for a catch at short leg which came off the pads, an appeal to the DRS for leg-before which was sliding down and an attempted run out - all of which Denly survived.
Hazlewood struck on the third ball of his next over though, pummelling Denly with a short ball that hit the glove and looped to Tim Paine behind the stumps. Denly had faced 134 balls for his 50 and 21 more without adding to his score but he had produced an innings sure to boost his confidence and secure his place for now, his delicious pull through midwicket off Hazlewood for four midway through the second session one for the highlights reel.
Likewise, Root went a long way towards answering his critics after scoring consecutive ducks in his previous two innings with his 57 at Edgbaston his only knock of note in this series before now. He is still far from Mark Butcher's unbeaten 173 which allowed England to chase down 315 against Australia at Headingley in 2001, but the England captain will have his sights set on producing something special at his home ground.
Denly's exit brought in Ben Stokes, who scored fifty in the first Test and was Man of the Match with an unbeaten 115 in the second, bolstering England's hopes this time around.
Australian skipper Paine, in trying to keep his troops' pumped up late on the third day, yelled from behind the stumps: "We'll get two more tonight boys, two more in the morning". They didn't get the former. They will need the latter and much, much more.
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Pats down another TE as Kendricks suspended
Published in
Breaking News
Saturday, 24 August 2019 14:36

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots tight end Lance Kendricks has been suspended one game for violating the NFL's policy on substances of abuse, the league announced Saturday.
Kendricks, 31, has been on the roster bubble as the Patriots have had an open competition among several players as they attempt to fill the void created by Rob Gronkowski's retirement.
The Patriots had signed Kendricks to a one-year deal on July 24. He spent the previous two seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Kendricks is eligible to participate in all remaining preseason practices and the team's final preseason game Thursday against the New York Giants. He will be eligible to return to the Patriots' active roster on Sept. 9, following the team's Week 1 game versus Pittsburgh.
Kendricks played 24 snaps and had one catch for 11 yards in the Patriots' win over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday.
In a Week 2 preseason win over the Tennessee Titans, Kendricks also played 24 snaps and had one catch for 28 yards. He had been penalized for holding in the end zone in that game, resulting in a safety.
Veteran tight end Benjamin Watson, who also is vying for a roster spot, is suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
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NL batting leader McNeil activated off IL for Mets
Published in
Baseball
Saturday, 24 August 2019 14:06

The National League batting leader is back for the New York Mets.
Jeff McNeil was activated off the 10-day injured list ahead of Saturday's home game against the Atlanta Braves, where he will be available off the bench.
McNeil went on the IL on Aug. 14 after suffering a hamstring strain when trying to beat out an infield grounder.
The Mets' leadoff hitter told reporters on Saturday that the hamstring "feels normal" and that he expects to be in the lineup on Sunday.
McNeil is batting an NL-best .332 with 15 homers and 55 RBIs.
He rejoins the team in the midst of a pivotal series against the division-leading Braves. The Mets entered Saturday's matchup 10 games back from the Braves and two games back from the wild card.
In a corresponding move, the Mets designated Aaron Altherr for assignment.
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Dodgers mulling rest, shortened outings for Ryu
Published in
Baseball
Saturday, 24 August 2019 14:35

LOS ANGELES -- Hyun-Jin Ryu is reaching unfamiliar territory with his workload and, whether as a direct correlation or sheer coincidence, has struggled in recent starts, allowing 11 runs over his last 10 innings. In hopes of mitigating potential fatigue, the Los Angeles Dodgers are considering the possibility of either skipping one of Ryu's upcoming turns through the rotation, lengthening the amount of days between starts or shortening his outings moving forward. "I'll have that conversation with Hyun-Jin," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, "and we'll see what's best for him."
Ryu, a frontrunner for the National League Cy Young Award for most of the season, is already up to 152 2/3 innings, his highest total since contributing 192 as a rookie in 2013. Over the last four years, while dealing with severe injuries to his shoulder, elbow and groin, Ryu accumulated only 213 21/3 innings.
The 32-year-old left-hander was charged with four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 17 and seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings against the New York Yankees on Friday, increasing his ERA from 1.45 to 2.00. Prior to suffering his fourth loss against the Yankees at Dodger Stadium, Ryu had surrendered only seven earned runs in 77 2/3 innings at home all season.
Ryu stated that he is "healthy."
"I don't feel any fatigue at the moment," he said through a translator. "Our team does a great job of giving me extra days of rest, so I actually feel fresh."
Roberts generally agreed, acknowledging that Ryu has had a hard time commanding all of his pitches but adding that his velocity remains on par. The Dodgers will have four off-days in their first 19 days of September. Roberts would like to ensure that his top three starters -- Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and Ryu -- remain on a regular schedule through that, though the days off make it easier to skip their turns.
Rookies Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin can help fill in. Julio Urias, extended to about three innings and set to return from suspension on Sept. 1, and Rich Hill, who threw a 27-pitch bullpen session in his return from an elbow injury, can also help fill the gap.
Roberts, speaking prior to Saturday's game against the Yankees, said Ryu has "done a good job of keeping himself strong, so I don't think fatigue is the reason he hasn't thrown the ball well."
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