Blake Snell’s perfectionism shines through as he critiques his pitch selection and efficiency on Friday, demanding deeper outings for the Los Angeles Dodgers despite maintaining a blistering 1.05 ERA since returning.
Blake Snell has been dominant for the Los Angeles Dodgers over the last month, but even another strong performance Friday was not enough to satisfy him.
The left-hander earned his fourth win of the season as the Dodgers defeated the Miami Marlins 6-2.
Snell allowed one run on four hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in 5.2 innings to get the win. He now has a 1.05 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 34.2 innings over six starts returning from the Injured List.
A dominant effort
For most pitchers, that performance would be more than enough. Snell was frustrated because he believed he should have accomplished more.
With two outs in the sixth inning, Javier Sanoja singled and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went to the bullpen.
According to Dodger Blue, Snell explained afterward that he knew Sanoja’s swing and believed the pitch he threw played directly into the hitter’s strengths.
Snell felt he knew which pitches would have given him a better chance to record the out and was disappointed that the mistake prevented him from finishing six innings.
“I just know his swing really well, and the pitch that I threw favors him,” Snell said.
“People will say it’s a good pitch. It’s not to him," Snell continued. "I got away with it earlier because it was off the plate, not under. So it was frustrating to me because I knew what pitches I should’ve thrown to get him out. And then coming out of the game, I wanted to go six at worst. For me, I’m just not happy with it.”
He had thrown 101 pitches, his highest total in any outing this year.
It was only the second time in six starts since being activated on Aug. 11 against the Kansas City Royals that Snell failed to complete six innings.
Snell explained that six innings represents the minimum he wants from himself, while he also believes he can work seven, eight or nine.
His primary concern was efficiency early in games.
Snell feels he begins to settle into outings after the first couple of innings, when he starts identifying what is working and finding a rhythm.
Considering what he had to work through Friday, completing six innings would have satisfied him.
“The goal at worst is definitely six,” Snell noted.
“I also know that I can go seven, eight, nine. I know that I’m able to do it. I’ve just got to be more efficient early in the game. I feel like once I get past the first couple innings, I start cruising and start figuring it out. Today’s game, getting six would’ve been really good for me. Just with how I felt and what I had to go through, I would’ve more been happy with six. But not getting six, frustrating for me.”
Despite his frustration, Snell left with Miami still scoreless.
He had dealt with traffic earlier in the game without allowing the Marlins to capitalize.
The only run charged to Snell came after his departure. Sanoja scored when Evan Phillips surrendered a double that reduced Los Angeles’ lead to 2-1.
Snell is now 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.91 with a 1.09 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 37.2 innings across seven starts this season.
He has not given up more than one run in any of his six starts since returning from the Injured List and has completed at least five innings in each.
Snell’s mindset
Snell’s standards are part of what makes him such a difficult pitcher to face.
He does not judge himself exclusively by runs allowed. He evaluates pitch selection, execution and whether he put himself in position to work deeper into the game.
That attention to detail is particularly valuable for a pitcher whose arsenal allows him to attack hitters in several ways.
Snell can generate swings and misses with multiple pitches, change eye levels and adjust his sequencing depending on how hitters react.
His ability to escape trouble is another important quality.
Even when his command is not perfect, he has the weapons and composure to prevent baserunners from becoming runs.
That combination becomes especially valuable in October.
Snell can dominate without having everything working perfectly, but his frustration Friday showed that merely producing a strong result is not enough for him.
He expects to finish the innings he believes belong to him.
