The Los Angeles Dodgers had future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw on the mound to open the series against the San Diego Padres Friday night.
Kershaw threw six dazzling innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits. The left-hander set the tempo for LA, and the Dodgers hoped Blake Snell would do the same in his start Saturday.
The two-time Cy Young winner delivered and tossed six scoreless innings against his former team. However, Snell’s start wasn’t smooth-sailing from the jump as it took him more than 20 pitches to get through the first inning.
The Padres were aggressive early and tried to steal second multiple times, but Will Smith helped Snell find his rhythm by throwing out three baserunners to record a trio of outs in the first two innings.
“There’s a lot I need to work on honestly. Which I’ll do that,” Snell said. “I’ll 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 that I’m looking forward to seeing and cleaning up.”
In his three starts since returning from the injured list, Snell has allowed just three runs in 16 innings of work. Sunday’s start against the Padres was reflective of why the Dodgers signed the left-hander to a five-year, $182 million deal last winter.
“The results have been good, but there’s things I need to do better,” Snell said. “It can’t be this way forever. If I’m not efficient, dominating the zone, the shapes of pitches aren’t where I want them – the results are good, but I’m chasing something different than that. So I got to get better.”
Snell is set to face the Padres again next weekend, and it’s evident the southpaw hopes to make some changes before his next start at Petco Park.
