Blake Snell delivered a dominant performance in his first start back from left elbow surgery, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers secure their second consecutive victory over the Kansas City Royals.

The left-hander immediately established himself by striking out the side in the first inning. He did not allow a baserunner until the fourth.

Snell ultimately completed six innings, giving up one run on three hits with 10 strikeouts and a walk to get a no-decision in the 5-4 win in extra innings.

Speaking after the game, Snell explained that his previous start against the Atlanta Braves on May 9 (his only other appearance this year) provided valuable information despite the frustration of having to undergo surgery and rehabilitation afterward.

Snell used what he learned from that outing to adjust his approach against Kansas City. He was pleased with being more aggressive, working within the strike zone and maintaining better control of his emotions in his first start back.

“Yeah, it was good,” Snell said according to Dodger Blue.

“I felt like Atlanta helped me a lot just with how it felt, the results. Pretty frustrating to have that as my only start, and then have to rehab, go through all that to come back,” Snell added.

“So yeah, just had a lot of information from that game to help me with this one on what I want to do differently and how I wanted to start. So definitely happy that I was more aggressive, more in the zone, and more just in control of my emotions for being the first one back.”

His fastball command was particularly impressive and allowed his off-speed pitches to become more effective.

Snell explained that his fastball is the foundation of his success because of its characteristics and his ability to locate it. When he commands the pitch effectively and avoids becoming predictable, the rest of his arsenal becomes considerably more difficult for hitters to handle.

Although pleased with his fastball command in his return, Snell believes there is still significant room for improvement.

Just as importantly, he feels as healthy physically as he has at any point since signing with the Dodgers. Snell said being free from physical concerns allows him to concentrate exclusively on pitching, giving him confidence in his current position.

“Yeah. I’m not worried when I pitch about other things. I can just pitch and focus on pitching,” Snell said. “So that’s pretty cool. Yeah, I like where I’m at.”

Manager Dave Roberts also praised Snell’s performance, particularly his efficiency and willingness to attack hitters.

Roberts explained that Snell understood the Dodgers needed length because of the state of their bullpen and responded by aggressively attacking the strike zone.

The original plan did not call for Snell to pitch through the sixth inning, but his efficiency allowed Los Angeles to extend his outing.

Roberts was impressed with Snell’s fastball and curveball, while noting that his changeup, which he considers Snell’s best secondary pitch, did not need to play as significant a role.

That extra inning became especially important for the Dodgers’ bullpen.

Snell’s ability to adjust is one of the qualities that has made him such an accomplished starter. Rather than simply relying on his natural talent, he evaluates previous outings and identifies changes that can make his entire arsenal more effective.

His competitiveness also stands out. Returning from left elbow surgery could have encouraged a cautious approach, but Snell attacked hitters while remaining under control.

The combination of confidence, fastball command, unpredictability and multiple effective secondary pitches gives him several ways to navigate a lineup.

For the Dodgers, having a healthy Snell capable of providing length is particularly valuable.

His return adds another experienced pitcher who can take pressure off the bullpen while giving Los Angeles a starter comfortable handling significant games.

His first outing back demonstrated exactly what that can look like.