Puig homers in Dodgers' 10-inning win
LOS ANGELES -- The legend of Yasiel Puig continues to grow.
And to a lesser extent, so, too, does that of rookie left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Ryu pitched into the eighth inning of a tie game and Puig hit a home run in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves in 10 innings on Friday night in Dodger Stadium.
They helped set the stage for a dramatic ending when Skip Schumaker scored from third base on a wild pitch by Anthony Varvaro.
"I was just trying to get some balls below the zone to get a ground ball there, and it just skipped the wrong way," Varvaro said. "I'd rather it leave the yard, I guess. That's just how it happens sometimes."
Puig had tied the score at 1 with a two-out home run into the left-field pavilion in the sixth off Atlanta starter Paul Maholm.
It was Puig's second home run in as many nights after breaking Thursday's game open with an eighth-inning grand slam, his fourth homer in five games. It was also his 10th RBI, which ties him with Danny Espinosa (2010) and Jack Merson (1951) as the only major leaguers since 1920 to have 10 RBI in their first five games.
"I just prepare with my coaches and it happens," Puig said.
Ryu exited with two outs in the eighth after surrendering six hits and one run while striking out six in another quality effort. The only Atlanta came in the fourth when Freddie Freeman doubled and Dan Uggla drove him in with a single to make it 1-0.
Ryu left in the eighth inning with two outs and a runner at first, as Dodgers manager Don Mattingly chose not to let him face Justin Upton.
"We discussed that before the inning," Ryu said. "He said if I got through the first two batters in 10 pitches or less I would pitch to Upton as well. But unfortunately I gave up a hit and he took me out of the game."
Maholm was equally as impressive, pitching 7 1/3 innings while giving up one run and four hits. He left with one out in the eighth and a runner at second base after a leadoff single to Ramon Hernandez followed by a sacrifice bunt by Luis Cruz.
"On the home run, to be honest, I missed by about three feet. I wasn't even trying to throw anywhere close to the zone," Maholm said. "I wasn't mad that he hit a home run. I was mad because it was supposed to be bounced two feet in front of the plate and nowhere where he could hit it. But I hung one, and he's hot.
"But let's not crown him a Hall of Famer yet. Let's watch him. Obviously, he's talented. The league has to make adjustments to him -- and he's going to have to make adjustments. He's a free swinger, so you've just got to make your pitches."
NOTES: Hanley Ramirez was out of the lineup again for the Dodgers, the result of tightness in the same left hamstring that landed him on the disabled list and kept him out of the lineup for most of May. The Dodgers don't seem concerned that it will be a long-range issue for Ramirez, although in the short term it was just another unfortunate hit in a season of them for the shortstop. He started the year on the disabled list after suffering a thumb injury in the World Baseball Classic, then played just four games before straining his left hamstring on May 3. ... The Braves' eighth-round pick Friday in the 2013 first-year player draft had a familiar ring. Kyle Wren, a junior outfielder selected with the 253rd overall pick, is the son of Braves general manager Frank Wren. The younger Wren is coming off a tremendous junior season for Georgia Tech, hitting .360 and stealing a team-high 28 bases.