Ryu's first rainout gives LA chance to tweak rotation
Lefty will start Saturday matinee as part of day-night doubleheader vs. O's
BALTIMORE -- Hyun-Jin Ryu experienced another one of those Major League firsts Friday night: his first Major League rainout.
After 90 wet minutes, the Orioles gave up and rescheduled the unstarted game as a day-night doubleheader for Saturday. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Ryu would start the day game, and Josh Beckett would start the night game, as originally planned.
Ryu spent the rain delay learning American card games from his teammates. He promised to be a quick study. In his native Korea, teams wait only 30 minutes before postponing a game for rain.
After the game was called, Ryu threw a 30-pitch bullpen session in the batting cage. Ryu, who doesn't throw traditional bullpen sessions between starts, said he threw because, having had a day off Thursday, he didn't want to go two days without throwing.
"It shouldn't be a big deal," he said.
Mattingly, who said he spent most of the rain delay watching coverage of the capture of the Boston bombing suspect, said because the season is young, and because this series is sandwiched by days off, there shouldn't be much stress put on his club by the unscheduled doubleheader.
He said it might also give him a chance to flop Ryu and Beckett in the rotation next time around to split up lefties Clayton Kershaw and Ryu.
Mattingly also said he might revisit his lineup, which Friday night had Carl Crawford as designated hitter, Skip Schumaker in left field and Ramon Hernandez catching (he's 9-for-19 against Baltimore starter Jason Hammel).