Dodgers place Hyun-jin Ryu on 15-day DL with glute strain

The battle of attrition around MLB continued on Friday after the Los Angeles Dodgers placed left-hander Hyun-jin Ryu on the disabled list with a Grade 1 or 2 strain of the right glute. 

Ryu suffered the injury during Wednesday's start against the Atlanta Braves. After planting his right leg following his 97th pitch, Ryu immediately motioned to the dugout and was removed from the game.

An MRI on Friday revealed the strain. The low grade means it's not the most severe strain, but it will keep him out until early September, which is a big blow to an already unsteady Dodgers rotation.

Isn't that right, Juan Uribe?

Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke are still standing at the top, although both have spent time on the DL already this season. After that, it's not pretty right now with Ryu heading to the sidelines. The Dodgers already lost right-hander Josh Beckett to hip and groin injuries this month, which could force him to miss the rest of the season. Veteran Paul Maholm underwent surgery for a torn ACL this week, ending his season.

In addition to that, veteran Dan Haren has been good in his last two starts, but has proven tough to rely on for most of the season. In fact, before the injuries struck, his rotation spot was in serious jeopardy.

It once again shows that you can never, ever have enough pitching depth. All it takes is a pitch or two to significantly alter the outlook of an entire season. We've seen it with the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers basically all season long, and even after trading for David Price, the Detroit Tigers depth is suspect right now with Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez ailing.

To make up for the Dodgers' losses, general manager Ned Colletti acquired Roberto Hernandez (the former Fausto Carmona) from the Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Kevin Correia from the Minnesota Twins in minor non-waiver deals in August. Both have been superb in early action for Los Angeles, but both are band-aids as opposed to strong replacements in the middle of a rotation.

Minor leaguer Justin Germano was acquired from the Rangers on Friday, adding one more arm to the mix.

It will be a mishmash unit after the big two for awhile, which makes the 5 1/2 game lead Los Angeles has built in the NL West all the more important.  But it will be very interesting to see where that lead stands in early Sept., assuming Ryu returns on time.

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Mark Townsend

is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813