LOS ANGELES -- Blake Snell's long-awaited season debut arrived ahead of schedule but lasted much shorter than he and the Los Angeles Dodgers would've liked.
Originally slated to make one more rehab start, the Dodgers opted to activate Snell for Saturday's game against the Atlanta Braves when right-hander Tyler Glasnow hit the 15-day injured list Friday with back spasms. The club made the decision knowing Snell would be healthy but limited. He was built up to roughly 75 pitches, and the Dodgers certainly weren't going to ask their left-hander for more after he missed the first six weeks of the season with shoulder inflammation dating to the offseason.
They hoped Snell could log five innings. Instead, he was able to muster only three. The Braves put several balls in play—the majority on soft contact—which drove up Snell’s pitch count. A couple of defensive miscues by Hyeseong Kim at shortstop didn’t help either, and Snell finished the night tagged for five runs (four earned) with two walks and five strikeouts on 77 pitches as the Braves beat the Dodgers 7-2.
“The goal is to give up no runs, so giving up five is pretty frustrating,” Snell said to reporters after the game. “But I learned a lot. I (need to) use the fastball a little more. The zone’s smaller than it was last year. That’s what I learned today. Just missing a little bit, but I feel really good.”
Overall, Snell’s stuff was better than his line. That was evident throughout the night, with his fastball averaging just under 96 mph, along with increased spin on his changeup and slider. From a big-picture perspective, establishing the arsenal was the most pivotal takeaway.
“This time of year, the most important thing ... in Blake’s case, is kind of getting back into a major-league game and knowing that the stuff is still good, the stuff still plays,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Because every player, when you come back off rehab, you want to make sure your stuff is still sufficient. And so that question was answered.
“I was really encouraged with what Blake did outside of, obviously, the ... line score.”
Snell's short start ultimately stemmed from inefficiency. The main culprit? Two bases-loaded jams in the first two innings. After allowing the first three hitters of the game to reach safely, Snell emerged mostly unscathed in the first. He sandwiched two strikeouts around an RBI forceout from Austin Riley to strand two runners and limit the damage to one run, but he racked up 25 pitches.
He wasn't able to limit the damage in the second. With two outs, Ozzie Albies golfed an 0-2 changeup to left field to score two runs. After a passed ball by Will Smith, Matt Olson followed up with a two-run single of his own. The 103.4 mph liner was the hardest-hit ball of the evening off Snell, and one of just two balls in play with an exit velocity over 95 mph.
The third frame was his sharpest, with Snell pitching around a two-out error from Kim and punching out Jorge Mateo on a curveball to end his night.
“I feel really good,” Snell said. “The stuff is really good. Being able to start to read swings and what people are thinking and doing is getting better, so excited about that.
“But yeah, just a lot to break down. Obviously, three (innings) and 77 pitches is not where I want to be. Just a weird game.”
The Dodgers (24-15) have been anchored by their starting rotation all season, though it's their bullpen that has shined of late. Entering Saturday's game, the bullpen combined for an 0.93 ERA over 19 1/3 innings in its last five games, but Roberts has had to rely especially heavily on his relievers over the last three. With Glasnow lasting one inning in Wednesday's start against the Houston Astros and Emmet Sheehan falling an out shy of recording five innings Friday, Dodgers relievers have logged 18 1/3 of the team's last 24 innings.
A scheduled off day Thursday helped reset the bullpen, and the club also recalled Paul Gervase on Friday to help replenish the right side. But Brock Stewart, who was activated off the IL on Wednesday, landed right back on it Saturday with a bone spur in his left foot. He'll undergo further evaluation Monday.
Gervase took the bulk of the workload Saturday after Snell’s early departure, logging three innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts to finish the game. Roberts said the team will likely make a roster move to bring in a fresh arm ahead of Sunday’s rubber match. Still, a strong outing from Justin Wrobleski, who owns an 0.56 ERA over five starts this season, would go a long way especially with the Dodgers just three days into a 13-game stretch.
Los Angeles should also see a major boost come Monday. Mookie Betts, who has missed the last four weeks with an oblique strain, played six innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday and is scheduled to return from his rehab assignment Sunday. Provided he checks out with no lingering soreness, the Dodgers expect to activate Betts on Monday ahead of a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants.