The Los Angeles Dodgers hadn’t officially revealed Blake Snell to be their Game 1 starter for the National League Championship Series when he took a seat behind the dais to speak with media before the team’s workout at American Family Field on Sunday night.
Shohei Ohtani was under consideration as well, thought manager Dave Roberts noted over the weekend that the Dodgers were still evaluating their options.
It’s the second time in three opportunities this postseason that Snell is starting the first game of a series. After a dominant performance against the Philadelphia Phillies, now he faces a Milwaukee Brewers team that finished with the best record in baseball.
“It’s a very energetic lineup. They’re really good. Like you said, they put the ball in play,” Snell said of the Brewers.
Among other categories, they tied for the NL lead in team batting average (.258) and had the second-best on-base percentage (.332). The Brewers also led the NL with 164 stolen bases.
“The goal is to keep them off the bases. If they’re on the bases, it depends on which runner is on base. No matter what, it will change the way you view them,” Snell added. “The leg lift to home, the time, the looks, disrupting that. I’ve studied them. I understand who is running, who is not running, counts, all that.
“If we get to that point, then I’ll be ready for it and well aware of it.”
Snell did not face the Brewers during any of their six games against the Dodgers this season, but he also didn’t solicit opinion from teammates who had. Instead, he relied on watching the Brewers to craft a plan of attack.
“I just watched games, the footage. I watched yesterday’s game. The playoff games are going to give you the best idea of who they are, how they handle the pressure, or how they play on the road, how they play at home, what’s different,” Snell explained.
“So by watching that, just gave me a lot of insight on each hitter, what they can do, what I think I can get away with, where I can attack. The biggest thing is watching the game. If you watch the game, you watch players, at-bats, how they handle failure, success, it really helps you understand the player.
“And then when it’s the one-on-one match-up in the box and I’m on the mound, that’s where you understand, like, was I right, was I wrong? And you feel the at-bat out and learn how to pitch.
“You make them swing at your pitches, good pitches. You figure out what they’re good at, what they’re not good at, and that will just tell you how to attack them. I can’t say like too much because they’re going to watch this. But, I mean, it’s a really good lineup.
“I’m not falling for the ‘Average Joes.’ They’re not. They have the best record in the NL.”
Brewers manager ‘very disappointed’ by Blake Snell
As a two-time Cy Young Award winner, with one in each league, Snell is among baseball’s best starting pitchers. And his talent is certainly not lost on Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who was effusive of the Dodgers collectively and specifically mentioned the left-hander.
“The other kid is pretty good, the lefty. What’s his name? Shell? Snell. I’m joking, of course,” Murphy said. “I’ve been very disappointed when he’s pitched and I’m in the stadium.
“He’s really good.”
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