Ryu Hyun-jin outduels Cy Young candidate Harvey for 12th win

South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers outdueled the National League (NL) Cy Young Award candidate Matt Harvey of the New York Mets to earn his 12th win of the season on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

Ryu pitched seven strong innings, giving up one earned run on five hits and a walk while striking out three, as the Dodgers defeated the Mets 4-2. It was LA's seventh straight victory, while Ryu extended his personal winning streak to six.

Ryu improved to 12-3 in his rookie Major League Baseball (MLB) season and lowered his ERA to 2.91. He has given up just four earned runs and two walks in his last 26 1/3 innings.

Ryu leads the Dodgers staff and also all big league rookies in victories.

The 26-year-old left-hander has pitched at least five innings in each of his 23 starts and improved to 6-1 with a 1.78 ERA in 11 starts at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers remained firmly in first place at NL West with a 69-50 record, including an impressive 39-8 in their last 47 games.

They have won Ryu's last nine starts.

Harvey, a 24-year-old right-hander, entered the game at 9-3 with an NL-leading 178 strikeouts and a 2.09 ERA, the second best in the league. The flamethrower had been 2-1 with a 0.98 ERA after the All-Star break and recorded his first career complete game shutout in his last start against the Colorado Rockies.

Against the Dodgers, though, Harvey suffered the loss after giving up four earned runs on eight hits and two walks in six innings. He had his season-low three strikeouts.

The Mets gave Harvey an early 1-0 cushion with a first-inning home by Juan Lagares, but that was the only offense they could muster against Ryu.

Entering this game, the Mets' offense ranked second to last in the NL in batting average and third to last in hits.

After Largares' one-out homer, Ryu gave up a single to Daniel Murphy, but got Marlon Byrd to ground into double play to end the inning.

He faced a one-out jam in the top fourth after back-to-back singles by Byrd and Josh Satin, but retired Justin Turner on a flyout to right and John Buck to a grounder to short.

Ryu was hardly challenged afterward and sat down his next seven batters in a row en route to the victory.

The Dodgers managed just three singles off Harvey through the first four innings and hit into three double plays. Then with runners on corners with one out in the fifth, light-hitting shortstop Nick Punto hit a double down the left field line to drive in two runs.

In the next frame, A.J. Ellis added two insurance runs with a two-out single to left.

Closer Kenley Jansen gave up an earned run in the ninth but still picked up his 19th save of the season. (Yonhap News)