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.

In the early going, Colletti's small trades have paid off

Let me start off by saying that each of the three players Ned Colletti has traded for have only started one game for the Dodgers.  So let's not get too carried away about what we see.

But hey, Roberto Hernandez, Kevin Correia, and Darwin Barney have all played great and the Dodgers are six games up in the NL West.  So why shouldn't we be excited?

All three men were brought in for depth, and they had great debuts.  Encouraging enough for the Dodgers to feel pretty darn good about who they have going forward.

Let's take a look at them:

Robert Hernandez.  He got the start last week in Milwaukee in what turned out to be a 9-3 loss.  That was more because Justin Turner had a meltdown at short, and the floodgates opened.  Hernandez overcame two runs and three hits in the first inning so throw five perfect innings after that.  Can't beat that.

How effective was Hernandez during that game?  He retired the final 17 batters in a row he faced.  The offense gave him a 3-2 lead in the seventh, but like I said before, it was all downhill from there.  Still, he looks like a legit option for the fifth starter, and has definitely earned more starts going forward.

Kevin Correia.  Hernandez had pretty good numbers coming in from Philly... but Correia definitely did not in Minnesota.  His ERA hovered around five on a team going nowhere.  So when he got the start against the Braves on Monday, it would've been hard to be optimistic.

The result?  Six innings of one-run ball, guiding the Dodgers to a 6-2 win.  He just looked rejuvenated, mixing his pitches and looking sharp all night.  He probably could've kept going at only 82 pitches, but it was probably a smart move by Don Mattingly to yank him on a high note.  I would think that's only a spot start and he'll eventually fill the long relief role vacated by Paul Maholm.  But if Monday was any indication, he looks like he can fill either role just fine.

Darwin Barney.  With Dee Gordon slowing down a bit as he's playing deeper in a season than he's ever been used to, the Barney acquisition looked really good on Tuesday.  Getting his first start at second, he went 1-for-4 with an RBI single and run scored.

But, his real value didn't really show up in the box score.  He showed his legs in the ninth when he reached on an error at short and hustled to second.  After going to third on a groundout, he perfectly read a passed ball and scampered home to go up 4-2.  With Kenley Jansen going for his 33rd save, he ranged behind him to catch a popup in short center.  Not a bad first start to say the least.

Overall, all three have at least given Mattingly confidence to rest some regulars and put them in again.  What also helps tremendously is that the Giants are in another free fall, and the rest of the NL West flat out sucks.  Why not sprinkle in some bench players to keep everyone fresh in the stretch run?  Makes sense to me.

If you throw in Dan Haren's last two starts, which have been great, then there's a lot to like about the back end of the 25-man roster.  It's not like I expect all of them to keep dominating, as there were plenty of reasons why they had subpar numbers in the first place.  But, I do think something has to be said about joining a winning team.

It makes everyone feel better about themselves and how they play.  Now keep it going!

Dodgers get Correia from the Twins

Ned Colletti stated that he wasn't done acquiring pitching help after trading for Roberto Hernandez.  Apparently he meant it by trading for Kevin Correia from the Twins for a player to be named or cash.  Sort of like the Hernandez deal.

This season has not exactly gone well for the Correia, as he's 5-13 with a 4.94 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 26 starts.  Yikes.  Opponents are also hitting .297 against him.  Yikes again.

So, what exactly does Colletti see in Correia?  If anything, it's a low-risk investment to provide depth, whether that be as a spot starter or in long relief.  Paul Maholm is out for the season with a torn ACL, and Josh Beckett probably will be as well with a bad hip.  Dan Haren was very good against the Angels on Wednesday, but before that was atrocious.  Maybe Correia provides a boost in his spot.

If you're looking for a silver lining, then perhaps it's that Correia is more of a National League pitcher.  He was an All-Star in 2011 with the Pirates when he went 11-7 with a 4.01 ERA in the first half of the season.  Then again, he completely tanked in the second half, raising his ERA to 4.79, but I digress.

He certainly knows the NL West well, as he was a member of the Giants for many years before pitching two seasons for the Padres.  None of his stats really stand out from that time.

The bottom line is that this won't be the move that propels the Dodgers to World Series champions by any means.  All they can hope for is some solid innings from the veteran.  I can't imagine he could do a whole lot worse than Maholm did, so maybe that long relief role will fit him well.