Blake Snell did enough to keep the damage modest, but not nearly enough to help the Dodgers’ bigger playoff picture. In Game 2 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, the left-hander was lifted after 3.2 innings and 90 pitches, leaving Los Angeles to cover more than five innings with the bullpen in a critical October game.
Snell’s line looked workable at first glance. He gave up three hits and one earned run, struck out five and limited the Braves in terms of scoring.
But the pitch count told the real story. He also issued five walks and needed 90 pitches to get just 11 outs, a level of inefficiency that can put a staff in a bind this time of year.
That’s the problem for the Dodgers. In the postseason, starters are expected to provide length whenever they can, because every extra inning handed to the bullpen raises the strain on the rest of the staff. Snell had returned from an elbow issue earlier in the season and was supposed to be a major piece for Los Angeles in October, which makes this kind of short outing even more costly.
The Dodgers had gotten a different kind of help in the series opener, with Tarik Skubal throwing six innings in Game 1 and giving the bullpen a breather. Game 2 flipped that script fast. Instead of another steady start, Los Angeles was suddenly staring at a long night for its relievers against an Atlanta lineup in a playoff setting.
One earned run over 3.2 innings is not a disaster on its own. But when it takes 90 pitches to get there, the Dodgers don’t get the one thing they need most from a top starter: length. In a best-of-five series, those bullpen innings add up in a hurry, and Snell’s early exit could ripple beyond this game and into the rest of the series.
In Other News...
Dodgers Double Down On A Risky NLDS Plan Against Atlanta
The Dodgers are leaning into a familiar postseason idea against Atlanta by putting Blake Snell in line to start Game 2 of the NLDS, a move that fits neatly with the clubs preference for attacking a lineup that has shown trouble against left-handed pitching. Dave Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior have both framed the series around that matchup edge, and the decision underscores how much Los Angeles values Snell even after a season shaped by injury and limited innings.
Snells return has given the Dodgers another left-handed option with real October importance, and the club appears willing to keep pressing that advantage as the series develops. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is also part of the conversation for later games, which leaves Los Angeles with some intriguing rotation flexibility, but it also hints at a plan that carries risk if the Braves force the Dodgers to keep adjusting on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Dave Roberts Sends Dodgers Fans A Clear Message On Tanner Scott
Tanner Scotts rough ninth inning in Game 1 of the National League Division Series did not change the way Dave Roberts views the left-handers place in the Dodgers bullpen. After Scott allowed a two-run homer, Roberts pointed back to the bigger picture, noting that he was working in a non-save spot with a four-run cushion and that the late decision was shaped more by the next hitters than by the inning itself.
For the Dodgers, that matters because Scott is not just another arm in the mix. He finished the regular season with a 2.69 ERA and 25 saves, and he is one of three left-handed relievers on the NLDS roster, a group Roberts figures to lean on as the postseason gets tighter. The message from the manager was clear: one bad moment in October has not shaken the teams confidence in Scotts role. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Clearly Have An Andy Pages Problem They Couldn't Ignore
Andy Pages challenges with the automated ball-strike system have become enough of a talking point that the Dodgers had to address it directly again in October. Manager Dave Roberts said the coaching staff spoke with Pages about his poor success rate on ABS challenges and told him not to challenge any pitches in the next game, a sign the club views the issue as more than just a one-off mistake.
It also wasnt the first time Los Angeles had to rein him in. The Dodgers had already limited Pages from challenging pitches in the second half of the regular season because of similar problems, and his early challenge in Game 1 left the team with only one challenge for the rest of the night. For a club trying to manage every edge it can in the postseason, that kind of self-inflicted drain is hard to overlook. [Read more 🡒]