Blake Snell Is Locked In as Dodgers Rotation Gets Healthy
Blake Snell did not simply return to the Los Angeles Dodgers' rotation.
He returned looking like a pitcher who could become one of their most dangerous weapons in October.
Snell delivered his best start of the season Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, throwing six scoreless innings while allowing only two hits. He walked three, struck out six and helped Los Angeles complete a three-game sweep with a 4-0 victory.
It was his third start since returning from elbow surgery.
The combined numbers from those three outings are difficult to ignore.
18 innings. Seven hits. Two earned runs. Seven walks. Twenty-one strikeouts.
That works out to a 1.00 ERA since Snell returned to the rotation on Aug. 11. He has also completed exactly six innings in each of those three starts.
For a Dodgers team that spent much of the season waiting for its star-studded pitching staff to get healthy, Snell's resurgence could not be arriving at a better time.
Snell Shut Down Pittsburgh
Sunday's start was not Snell's most overpowering outing by strikeout total.
It may have been his most complete.
The left-hander held Pittsburgh scoreless across six innings and surrendered only two singles. The Pirates never produced an extra-base hit against him, and Los Angeles' bullpen completed the shutout after Snell departed.
His fastball also provided another encouraging sign.
MLB's Statcast coverage highlighted Snell reaching 97 mph during the outing, evidence that the velocity is there as he moves further away from elbow surgery.
That matters because Snell's effectiveness has always been built around more than simply locating pitches.
His fastball can create swings underneath the ball, and his breaking pitches become considerably more difficult to handle when hitters have to respect premium velocity at the top of the zone.
The version the Dodgers saw Sunday looked increasingly comfortable using that arsenal.
And unlike a pitcher simply trying to survive after a long injury layoff, Snell is already giving Los Angeles meaningful length.
Three consecutive six-inning starts are a major development for a rotation that is beginning to take a very different shape than it had earlier this summer.
Three Starts, Three Strong Performances
Snell's latest run began Aug. 11 against the Kansas City Royals.
In his first Major League start after surgery, he allowed one earned run on three hits over six innings while striking out 10 and issuing only one walk. His fastball reached 97.5 mph during the performance.
That alone would have been encouraging.
Snell then showed it was not a one-start burst.
Six days later at Coors Field, one of baseball's most difficult environments for pitchers, Snell again completed six innings. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out five as the Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies.
Then came Pittsburgh.
Six more innings.
Two more hits.
No runs.
Six more strikeouts.
Put it together and Snell has held opposing hitters to only seven hits across 18 innings since returning.
That is not simply a pitcher getting through his assignments while rebuilding stamina.
That is production.
The Comeback Looks Even Better Considering Where Snell Started
Snell's season has been anything but straightforward.
He began the year on the injured list before making his season debut in May. That appearance against Atlanta lasted three innings, with Snell allowing four earned runs on six hits. He was subsequently sidelined and eventually underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow.
For roughly three months, the Dodgers could only wait.
Snell worked his way through rehabilitation and eventually made it back to the Dodger Stadium mound on Aug. 11.
The contrast between his first start of the season and his three outings since surgery is dramatic.
After four total starts this year, Snell now owns a 2-1 record, 2.57 ERA and 26 strikeouts across 21 innings.
His overall sample remains small because of how much time he missed.
But that also makes the next five weeks particularly important.
The Dodgers do not need Snell to prove what he can do over a full regular season anymore. They need him healthy, stretched out and pitching at a high level when the postseason begins.
So far, he is checking every box.
The Dodgers' Rotation Is Finally Starting to Look Whole
Snell's performance becomes even more significant when placed alongside what is happening throughout the rest of the Dodgers' rotation.
Tyler Glasnow was officially activated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday and is returning to the rotation against Atlanta.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto remains one of the club's top starters.
Tarik Skubal has joined the rotation and recently struck out 11 against Pittsburgh.
Roki Sasaki has continued producing meaningful innings in the second half.
And Shohei Ohtani is progressing toward a potential return to pitching after being limited to hitting because of left knee soreness.
That is the collection of arms Los Angeles hoped it could eventually assemble.
For much of the year, the problem was availability.
Now the conversation is beginning to shift toward how the Dodgers will fit everyone together.
That is a much better problem to have.
MLB described Los Angeles' rotation last week as "star-studded" and nearing full health, with Snell, Yamamoto and Skubal already in place before the anticipated returns of Glasnow and Ohtani.
Snell's recent form makes that group even more imposing.
Snell Gives the Dodgers Something They Cannot Manufacture
Postseason rotations are not built solely around ERA.
Teams want pitchers who can miss bats when a ball in play could change a series.
Snell has spent much of his career demonstrating exactly that ability.
His latest stretch is another example.
Twenty-one strikeouts in 18 innings means he has continued generating swings and misses while also providing length. More importantly, opponents have been unable to string together much offense against him.
The Dodgers can find innings in September.
They have depth.
What is harder to find is a starter capable of controlling a postseason game against an elite lineup.
When Snell is right, he has that ceiling.
His two Cy Young Awards are evidence of what his best stretches can look like. The question entering August was not whether Snell had ever been capable of dominating Major League hitters.
It was whether the Dodgers would see that version of him again soon enough to matter this season.
Three starts into his comeback, the answer is looking increasingly encouraging.
October Decisions Could Become Extremely Difficult
A healthy Dodgers rotation creates another question that manager Dave Roberts and the front office will eventually have to answer:
Who actually starts in October?
There is still far too much baseball remaining to settle that question now.
Health can change quickly. Performance can change. Matchups will matter, and postseason seeding could determine how many starters Los Angeles needs immediately.
But consider the possibilities.
Yamamoto has pitched like a front-line starter.
Skubal gives Los Angeles another elite left-handed option.
Glasnow has returned after posting a 2.72 ERA before his back injury.
Snell has allowed two earned runs in his last 18 innings.
Sasaki has continued making his case for meaningful innings.
And Ohtani could eventually rejoin the pitching staff if his buildup proceeds as planned.
There are more potential postseason starters than there are available postseason rotation spots.
That creates competition.
It also creates insurance.
The Dodgers know better than most organizations how quickly pitching plans can unravel because of injuries.
Having too many healthy starters in late August is not a concern.
It is exactly where they wanted to be.
Snell's Timing Could Not Be Better
Los Angeles enters the final portion of August at 80-51 and in the thick of the race for one of the National League's top postseason seeds. The Dodgers have also won six consecutive games after completing the sweep of Pittsburgh.
The season is reaching the point when every strong start does more than improve an individual pitcher's stat line.
It helps determine postseason positioning.
It reduces stress on the bullpen.
It allows Roberts to manage workloads.
And it gives the Dodgers additional confidence that the pitching staff they envisioned on paper might actually be available when the games matter most.
Snell accomplished all of that Sunday.
He handed the bullpen a three-inning assignment instead of asking relievers to cover half the game.
He kept Pittsburgh off the scoreboard.
And he helped Los Angeles extend its winning streak before a much more consequential series against Atlanta.
The Dodgers Are Seeing the Version of Snell They Need
There will be tougher tests ahead.
Three starts do not guarantee that Snell will carry a 1.00 ERA through September, and the Dodgers' priority will remain keeping him healthy after elbow surgery.
But there is a difference between cautious optimism and what Snell has actually done.
The results are already on the board.
Since returning, he has not allowed more than one run in any start.
He has not allowed more than three hits in any start.
He has completed six innings every time.
And he has struck out 21 hitters while allowing only seven hits.
Those numbers are difficult to dismiss.
Perhaps even more important, the stuff appears to match the results. Snell has shown upper-90s fastball velocity in his first several outings back, including the 97-mph heater highlighted during Sunday's start.
The Dodgers waited months to find out what Snell would look like after surgery.
They are beginning to get their answer.
A Dangerous Rotation Is Coming Together
For much of the summer, Dodgers fans could look at the names on the injured list and imagine what the rotation might become if everyone returned.
That hypothetical rotation is beginning to become real.
Glasnow is back.
Ohtani is moving closer.
Yamamoto, Skubal and Sasaki are already taking their turns.
And right in the middle of it all is a version of Blake Snell that has been extremely difficult to hit.
The Dodgers still have to keep everyone healthy.
They still have to determine postseason roles.
And there are enough weeks remaining for the picture to change.
But Snell has already turned one major question into a source of optimism.
Three starts after elbow surgery, he is not simply showing that he can pitch again.
Blake Snell is showing that he may be ready to dominate — and the Dodgers' rotation is starting to look a lot more dangerous because of it.