by Megan Garcia
Teoscar Hernández lifted his right hand above his head — with his thumb, index and pinky fingers pointed to the sky — as he rounded second base. Paul Skenes motioned for another ball to be thrown to him for the next batter.
Hernández blasted a home run halfway up the Right Field Pavilion at Dodger Stadium in the fifth inning, leading the Dodgers to a 4–1 win over the Pirates on Saturday. While the Dodgers secured the series win, their eyes are set on starting pitcher River Ryan who was removed from the game due to right forearm tightness.
Manager Dave Roberts said Ryan will have an MRI test on Sunday to determine the severity and will be placed on the injured list.
Ryan’s efforts on the mound did not go unnoticed. His outing kept the Pirates off the scoreboard over 4 2/3 innings, as Los Angeles tallied six hits and four runs against the super rookie Skenes in six innings.
“Obviously, he’s one of the best arms in the game. We got him for three (at PNC Park on June 5) and we got him for four (runs) tonight,” Roberts said. “It’s going to be a tall order to beat that guy. With the combination of pitching, great defense as we saw tonight and some timely hitting, it was huge.”
Gavin Lux and Hernández led the offense in the attack against the right-hander.
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Lux remembered his two strikeouts when he faced Skenes in Pittsburgh. He went 2-for-2 with a season-high three runs batted in against the pitching phenom on Saturday.
“I think a better frame of mind. I think having more at-bats and building confidence,” Lux said of his success in facing Skenes at Dodger Stadium. “The second time you see a guy, hopefully you see him better than the first time.”
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Ryan Headed to the Injured List
Ryan was pulled in the fifth inning after an apparent injury.
“In the third inning, I started to feel a little bit of tightness in my forearm. I got the Theragun, ran it through my arm a little and went back out there in the fifth,” River said. “In the last two pitches, it really started to tighten up on me a little bit. I begged Doc to let me keep going, but he pulled the plug.”
He tossed scoreless 4 2/3 innings while striking out four batters and allowing four hits.
Ryan’s pitch count reached 56 pitches (38 strikes) when he was removed.
The 25-year-old made his Dodger debut on July 22 against San Francisco. In four Major League starts, he has a 1.33.
Right-hander Landon Knack will be called up to replace River on the active roster, Roberts said.
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