Ryan, granted an early lead, stranded two runners during a 30-pitch first inning, one of the few glimmers of hope he allowed the Brewers offense. Brice Turang hit a leadoff single and Ryan issued a two-out walk to Rhys Hoskins, just his sixth walk of the season.
With runners on the corners and two outs, Sal Frelick pulled a fastball to the warning track in right field. Ryan dropped to a knee on the mound when he saw Frelick’s swing, then applauded after Trevor Larnach secured the catch for the inning’s final out.
“I didn’t feel super awesome coming in, but I knew what my misses were,” said Ryan, referring to the location of his pitches. “I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t trying to leave anything over the middle.”
It didn’t take long before Ryan found a groove. He struck out six consecutive batters before he hit Christian Yelich with a pitch to begin the fourth inning. He pitched around it, aided by a sliding stop from third baseman Royce Lewis. Ryan, as demonstrative as any pitcher in the big leagues, walked over to Lewis after the play and tapped him on his chest.
“In the back of my mind, I think after the third inning probably, I was like, ‘All right, it’s over,’ ” Ryan said. “It felt good. The ball is coming out well, we’re playing good defense, making good plays at the right times.”
In the sixth inning, Turang smacked a hanging splitter to the warning track in center field. Ryan, again, dropped his glove when he saw the swing because he was upset with the pitch, then clapped from the mound after the catch.
