Ryu's value has skyrocketed... and oh ya, he's still hurt

As I type this, the Dodgers are still being creamed in Colorado 16-1 in the top of the ninth.  This is a game that saw Carlos Frias make a spot start for Hyun-Jin Ryu, and it could not have gone any worse.

How bad was Frias?  He only lasted two outs, giving up eight runs on 10 hits, including a three-run homer to Justin Morneau that started the scoring.  His ERA coming in was 3.91... his ERA going out is 6.58.  That's hard to do.

There's also this little tidbit, courtesy of Dodgers' beat writer Dylan Hernandez: Frias became the first pitcher in the modern baseball era to give up 10 hits and not complete an inning.  Wow.  Just plain wow.

Kevin Correia also made an appearance today, giving up six runs (five earned) in three innings, raising his ERA with the Dodgers to 7.73.

Roberto Hernandez has made seven starts with the Dodgers for a 4.76 ERA.  He's failed to last longer than 4 1/3 innings in each of his last three starts.

Ladies and gentlemen, Ryu's value has suddenly gone through the roof without even throwing one pitch.

We all knew that Ryu was good before, but after having to sit and watch some of these other scrubs pitch way too often, it's obvious the Dodgers need a healthy Ryu if they stand any chance in October.  The last thing anyone wants to see is one of the above mentioned guys get a big start in the postseason.  That's as scary a thought as I can possibly think of.

Right now, Ryu is not on the DL, but is out with left shoulder soreness.  The latest update is that he has no structural damage, which is huge.  He's considered day-to-day as the Dodgers just hope they can win enough without him to wrap up the NL West and keep him resting as long as possible.

That's the silver lining on a day like this, as the Dodgers just wrapped up a horrible afternoon of baseball with a 16-2 loss.  I know it's Coors Field, and I know every team has clunkers throughout the season, but these last two days have been very discouraging.  To go from dominating the Giants the last two games in San Francisco to being outscored by the Rockies 26-6 the last two days is pretty frustrating.

And that's why Ryu's imminent return is such good news.  Let's not forget his Game 3 start against the Cardinals last year in which he hurled seven shutout innings after the Cards defeated Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke the first two games.  The stage is definitely not too big for him, and that's what the Dodgers need again next month.

Maybe four games in Chicago against the Cubs will get the Dodgers going again, as Kershaw and Greinke are scheduled to go.  Maybe the bats will drive in runs again, just like the did last weekend against the Giants.  Maybe the Giants will help out and lose some more.

And maybe, just maybe, Ryu can comeback strong and be that rock in the #3 spot of the rotation.  That's what the Dodgers need the most.