Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon behind Blake Snell’s effective start.
The left-hander wasn’t overly sharp but still managed to hold the Pirates to just two hits over six scoreless innings. He collected six strikeouts but struggled with command at times, walking three batters and hitting another.
“I just got to be better,” Snell said after the Dodgers’ 4-0 win. “Got to be in the zone more, get first-pitch strike, land the offspeed. Seeing their game plan against me, I should have adjusted quicker. So yeah, I got a lot to work on.”
Snell was mainly frustrated by his walks, as all three came with two outs. He did not retire the side in order until the sixth inning.
“Yeah, because there was a couple innings there where I get two quick outs, and then full-count walk, full-count walk. It’s just not acceptable, especially when I feel good,” Snell explained. “I know I can command the ball. It’s just, it’s honestly lazy. It’s me trying to get strikeouts instead of trying to go seven, eight, nine.
“So definitely got to clean that up, but I know I’m going to do that and just continue to get better, learn and grow. But happy with the slider today to righties. I felt like I was finally on top of the ball. Looked like a fastball. So happy with that, but yeah, I just know I got a lot to do to be better.”
Snell was disappointed with his tendency to chase strikeouts with two outs rather than pitch more efficiently. He also admitted his offspeed pitches weren’t as good as his four-seam fastball, which Pirates hitters went 0-for-10 against.
“For me, it’s once I get two outs, that’s usually when I want to get the strikeout. But that was just the situation today too,” Snell said. “So I don’t know. Today, that’s kind of where I went to, and instead of just attacking right away, get strike one, strike two, and then go from there.
“But also, my offspeed wasn’t that great today, so I’m not surprised I didn’t get a lot of strikeouts.”
Although it wasn’t his cleanest outing, Snell still got the job done and helped the Dodgers extend their winning streak to six games. Snell has now completed six innings in all three of his starts since returning from the 60-day injured list.
Dave Roberts agrees with Blake Snell
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also felt that Snell could have been better against the Pirates but was pleased with his overall approach and believes the best is yet to come.
“Like I said a few weeks ago, he’s on a mission,” Roberts said of Snell. “I see it, I’ve talked to him, and he’s putting in the work. I like the way he’s pounding the strike zone, and his slider’s really good. The curveball is as good as I’ve seen it. And then you got arguably his best secondary, his changeup, and the fastball was playing really well.
“So yeah, he could have been better in his words, but I thought he was pretty dang good.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
