Blake Snell’s night was over almost as soon as it began, a troubling twist for the Dodgers with the regular season winding down.
The left-hander threw just one inning against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday before leaving the game. He worked a scoreless frame, struck out one batter and needed 19 pitches, though his fastball velocity was down. There was nothing obvious in the moment to suggest a problem, but Snell headed to the clubhouse with team trainer Thomas Albert after the inning and did not return.
The Dodgers later said Snell was removed because of left groin tightness. Right-hander Blake Treinen took over in the bottom of the second.
Manager Dave Roberts is expected to give a fuller update after the game, including whether Snell will need a stint on the injured list.
It’s a frustrating turn for a pitcher who had finally found his stride after a brutal stretch on the sideline. Snell began the year on the injured list while recovering from shoulder inflammation that dated back to last season.
He returned for one start in May, then went right back on the IL for surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. After another three months out, he came back in August and had been excellent ever since.
Before Wednesday, Snell was 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA in six starts since coming off the injured list. Add in the first inning against Cincinnati, and he had racked up 47 strikeouts over 35.2 innings without allowing a home run during that run.
The timing couldn’t be worse for a Dodgers rotation already packed with injury issues. The club is counting on Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tarik Skubal to help drive October, but the depth behind that trio has been a mess.
Tyler Glasnow has struggled since returning from a nearly four-month absence caused by a back injury. Justin Wrobleski has been taken out of the rotation amid forearm trouble and performance issues. Roki Sasaki is on the injured list with a blister, Eric Lauer is done for the season because of an elbow injury, and Shohei Ohtani will not pitch again this year and may not even be fully healthy as a hitter.
The Dodgers recently sent Emmet Sheehan down, but he could be brought back if Snell lands on the IL. Sheehan was sharp in his two September starts, giving up one run across 11.2 innings.
For now, everything hangs on the update after the game. If Snell avoided something serious, the Dodgers can breathe a little easier with October approaching. If not, the loss would hit hard.
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The timing, though, is what makes this interesting. Los Angeles also has to figure out where he fits once Shohei Ohtani comes off the injured list, and that sort of roster puzzle tends to say as much about a prospect as any scouting report does. De Paula is forcing the issue now, and the Dodgers may soon have to decide whether his bat is ready for a bigger stage or whether his path has to wait behind an even larger return. [Read more 🡒]