The Los Angeles Dodgers secured a much-needed sweep of the San Diego Padres last weekend, with Blake Snell tossing six scoreless innings in the middle game of the series.
It was Snell’s third start since being activated from the 60-day injured list on Aug. 2, and his second straight outing with no runs allowed over at least five innings pitched.
While the results have been encouraging, Snell isn’t satisfied with his fastball command so far. Against the Padres, he threw 20 of 53 fastballs out of the zone, with many of them being uncompetitive misses that were elevated.
“It was OK, it could be better,” Snell said of his fastball command. “There’s a lot I need to work on, honestly. Which I’ll do that. I face them next, and I’m aware they’re going to listen to the interview, so I won’t say too much. But there’s a lot I need to fix and clean up.”
Facing the same opponent twice in such a short timeframe comes with its own challenges that Snell needs to prepare for in order to be successful. In this case there is also the added layer of extra familiarity from Snell’s three seasons with the Padres.
“I’ve kind of got to break down the game. What I liked, what I didn’t like, how I felt facing certain hitters and what I should do different the next time I see them, or keep it the same,” Snell said.
“I think there’s a lot I need to learn, kind of break down and go through. I’ll do that and see where I’m at next time I face them.”
The Padres were aggressive early in the count throughout Snell’s start, but especially in the first inning, when four of the five batters swung at the first pitch. He also began each at-bat against a right-hander with his fastball.
Snell pointed to the familiarity the Padres’ coaching staff has with his game potentially playing a part in their game plan, specifically with trying to run early.
Blake Snell encouraged by positive results early on
Snell has a 1.69 ERA through three starts this month since returning from the IL. Despite that, the left-hander knows he needs to improve if he wants to be the caliber of pitcher the Dodgers can rely on the rest of the way.
“Yeah, the results have been good, but there’s things I need to do better. It can’t be this way forever,” Snell said. “If I’m not efficient, dominating the zone, the shapes of pitches aren’t where I want them. Results are good, but I’m chasing something different than that, so I’ve got to get better.”
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