The Los Angeles Dodgers have split the games on their road trip thus far but the week ahead is offering a glimpse into what an October starting rotation may be.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto began the stretch with seven dominant innings against the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed just one run, finished with nine strikeouts and set a career high with 21 career whiffs. Tyler Glasnow is now taking the mound Tuesday and Shohei Ohtani is the probable for the series finale at Great American Ball Park.
That’s going to be followed by an off day before Clayton Kershaw starts the first game against the Tampa Bay Rays. That left Saturday and Sunday as the possibilities for Blake Snell in his return from the 60-day injured list.
Roberts shared on SportsNet LA that Yamamoto likely could have continued pitching against the Reds but is going to next start on Sunday. That would suggest Snell’s return is coming Saturday:
I thought there was still more in there if we needed, but I felt good going to VEsia right there. He’ll pitch on Sunday. It’ll be a day game, it’ll be hot, so get him to the century mark tonight and he’ll be ready to go again on Sunday.”
Snell’s start on Saturday is going to be his first for the Dodgers since April 2. He made just two starts before going on the injured list due to left shoulder inflammation.
Snell made four starts at the Minor League level over the duration of a rehab assignment that began on July 10. He pitched once for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and the Arizona Complex League Dodgers, then twice with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
In the four rehab outings, Snell posted a 1.32 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 24 strikeouts against five walks across 13.2 innings.
Blake Snell drafted by Rays
Snell spent the first five seasons of his career with the Rays and among other accolades, won the 2018 American League Cy Young Award during that span.
Snell went 42-30 with a 3.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 10.5 strikeouts per nine in 556 innings as a member of the Rays. He paired with Glasnow to lead their rotation in 2020, when the Rays faced the Dodgers in the World Series.
Glasnow and Snell are poised to resume their time together in the Dodgers rotation.
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