Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell made his first start since April 2 on Saturday and gave up two home runs during a 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
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Snell was activated off the injured list after missing the last four months with left shoulder inflammation. He had made only two starts to begin the season, allowing two earned runs and 10 hits in nine total innings. However, the left-hander only registered four strikeouts with eight walks, likely indicating something wasn't right.
On Saturday, Snell went five innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts. Yandy Díaz, Snell's former teammate in Tampa, took him deep twice during the Rays' win.
The Dodgers were curiously quiet at the MLB trade deadline, adding reliever Brock Stewart and outfielder Alex Call. But that may have been because the team anticipated getting pitchers like Snell back. If he's as effective as he's been during his previous nine seasons, Snell could be a more impactful addition than any trade acquisition.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced Wednesday that Snell was scheduled to start Saturday. He threw a bullpen session Thursday to get into his routine for a regular starting spot.
Snell started 108 games for Tampa Bay, compiling a 3.24 ERA and 42-30 record while averaging 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He was traded to the San Diego Padres before the 2021 season and pitched for the Dodgers' NL West rivals for three seasons, posting a 3.15 ERA, averaging 11.9 Ks per nine innings and winning the National League Cy Young Award in 2023.
After becoming a free agent following the 2023 season, Snell was one of the "Boras Four," clients of infamous super-agent Scott Boras who had difficulty getting lucrative long-term contracts on the open market. Ultimately, Snell settled for a two-year, $62 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. But he opted out of the deal after the first year, trying free agency again after notching 145 strikeouts in 104 innings.
Snell signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Dodgers last November, joining what appeared to be a powerhouse rotation for one of the best teams in baseball.
Injuries have prevented that rotation — which includes Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Shohei Ohtani — from following through on that promise. But with nearly all of those pitchers now recovering, the Dodgers could have a formidable rotation by the end of the season and into the postseason if they remain healthy.
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