Blue Jays’ Ryu Hyun-jin saddled with loss after one dismal inning

 With one disastrous inning against the worst team in baseball, Toronto Blue Jays’ starter Ryu Hyun-jin suffered his second straight loss.

Ryu gave up three earned runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings in Toronto’s 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Tuesday (local time).

Ryu fell to 12-8 for the season, and his ERA went up from 3.88 to a season-worst 3.92.

Ryu wrapped up the month of August having allowed 23 earned runs in 33 1/3 innings. This was Ryu’s first loss in four meetings against the Orioles, who came into the game at 40-90.

Ryu walked the tightrope right from the first inning. He walked the leadoff man Cedric Mullins, who later stole second base — the first steal against Ryu by any opposing runner this year.

With two outs, Ryu threw a wild pitch that allowed Mullins to take third, and then walked Anthony Santander to put runners at the corners.

Ryu got himself out of trouble by striking out Ramon Urias and ended up throwing 28 pitches in the opening frame.

But Ryu settled down nicely after the hectic first inning, sitting down 15 straight batters after the walk to Santander.

He retired the side in order in the second inning on 17 pitches and then needed just 13 pitches combined to sit down six straight batters across the third and fourth innings.

Ryu struck out the side in the fifth inning, using three different pitches to do so — cutter against Pedro Severino, fastball against Jorge Mateo and then curveball to fool Ryan McKenna.

Danny Jansen’s solo home run to open the bottom third put the Blue Jays up 1-0, and the lead appeared safe, with Ryu looking sharper and sharper as the game progressed.

But with two outs in the sixth, Ryan Mountcastle got Baltimore’s first hit off Ryu with a double down the right field line. Austin Hays followed up with an RBI single that tied the game and advanced to second on a throw home.

Ryu walked Santander on four pitches, and then Urias hit a double to left field to cash in two more runs for a 3-1 lead.

The Blue Jays summoned Adam Cimber from the bullpen to take over from Ryu, who, within minutes, went from possibly throwing a no-hitter to being in a position to take the loss.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a solo home run to lead off the bottom sixth and cut the deficit to 3-2, only to see the Orioles get a run back in the top seventh for a 4-2 lead.

The Blue Jays were silenced over the final three innings as their three-game winning streak came to a halt.