Why hello, Kitty.
It wasn't Asian Heritage night at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, but it might as well have been as Kenta Maeda and Hyun-Jin Ryu joined forces to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-3, on Hello Kitty Night at the Ravine.
Maeda was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list before the game as center fielder Joc Pederson was placed on the seven-day concussion DL.
The rust was evident for the Japanese right-hander from the jump as Maeda was knocked around in the first inning.
"It was a little hard getting into the game with the long layoff," Maeda said through a translator. "I was able to make adjustments and overall it was a good game for me."
All nine starters for St. Louis went to the plate, with six of them reaching base in a three-run first inning that left Maeda and the Dodgers rattled.
Jedd Gyorko did most of the damage for the Redbirds with a two-run double and Yadier Molina followed with an RBI single to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.
Maeda (4-2) recovered, allowing no runs over the next four frames and finishing the night with three runs scored on seven hits, with two walks and four strikeouts in five innings.
"It took me some time to get my rhythm back," added Maeda. "My offspeed pitches were flat. I was able to find my rhythm in the later innings and bounce back."
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Trailing 3-0 before they even got an at-bat, the Dodgers chipped away at the lead, starting with a solo shot from Chase Utley in the second inning.
Utley sent a changeup from Michael Wacha into the bleachers in right field to put the Dodgers on the scoreboard. The home run was Utley's first of the season as he became the fifth player over the age of 38 to homer this season.
Wacha took the loss, allowing a season-high six runs on seven hits in a season-low four innings.
The Dodgers found themselves in an interesting dilemma in the fourth inning. With runners on first and third and two outs, Yasiel Puig was at the plate. Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts sent Logan Forsythe into the on-deck circle, presumably in case Puig reached base.
Puig sent an RBI single to right field to cut the lead to 3-2, clearing the way for Forsythe at the plate, but at the last minutes, Roberts called him back and sent Maeda back into the batter's box.
"At that point, the way he was throwing the baseball, he was going to hit regardless," said Roberts of Maeda batting in that situation. "That was just a little gamesmanship on my part."
The head-scratching move paid off, making Roberts look like a genius as Maeda doubled down the left field line, plating two runs to give the Dodgers the lead.
Kenta Maeda DELIVERS.
��: https://t.co/eynCzbpqGR pic.twitter.com/baOzXD56K6— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 26, 2017
Maeda exited stage left after the fifth inning for Korean left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu, who made his debut as a in the first appearance out of the bullpen for the 30-year-old in his big league career.
The last time Ryu entered a game in relief, was in Korea when he was 19 years old. Ironically, he recorded the save in that situation as well.
Ryu picked up where Maeda left off, firing four scoreless innings of relief and earning the first save of his MLB career as two Asian starters combined for a two-pitcher victory for the first time (that we know of) in Dodgers franchise history.
"I'm a starter at heart and I believe I'll get another opportunity to start," said Ryu also through a translator. "Today was just a one-time appearance. We will have to see what happens moving forward. I was happy I didn't give up any runs, that I was able to get the save, and that my team was able to get the win."
Chris Taylor continued to swing a hot bat for the Boys in Blue regardless of where he starts on the field. In just his second career start in center, Taylor went 3-for-4 with a double an RBI and a run scored.
Adrian Gonzalez hit an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth to extend the Dodgers lead.
The Dodgers win the three-game series from the Cardinals in their first rubber match win of the season (2-1).
Throw Back Thursday:
On this date in 2014, Dodgers' starter Josh Beckett threw the first no-hitter of his career, and the 21st in franchise history as he shut down the Philadelphia Phillies on 128 pitches.
Up Next:
The Dodgers brace themselves for a cataclysmic confrontation with the reigning World Series Champion Chicago Cubs this weekend. RHP Jake Arrieta will start the first game of the series opposite LHP Alex Wood for the Dodgers in a rematch of the NLCS from last season. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10PM PST.
