Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell struggled in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves.
Why Snell’s start was so disappointing
Snell allowed three hits and five walks, recording just five strikeouts against the Braves.
In the end, he allowed just one run in 3.2 innings, keeping the team in the game, but it was far from what he did last postseason and even in the regular season.
During his limited regular-season run, Snell looked better than he ever has as a Dodger, with elite stuff and even better command.
Blake Snell had a 1.90 ERA in the regular season over 42.1 innings, with 11.60 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.72 FIP.
The curveball was fantastic, and the fastball was sharp too, making for a quality one-two punch.
What caused Snell to struggle?
He had just 32% of his pitches land in the strike zone, while getting just a 26% chase rate against a hyper-aggressive Braves team.
However, Snell had too many bad misses and balls, and Atlanta was more patient than usual.
He got just 34 swings on 90 pitches; his pitches were just unappealing to the hitters, and to make matters worse, the movement wasn’t good enough.
Snell averaged an inch less induced vertical break on the fastball, while he was two inches off his average on the curveball, changeup, and slider.
Interestingly, his velocity was up across the board, with his fastball sitting at 97 mph.
Can Snell turn it around?
Luckily, Snell knows exactly what he needs to fix. His command and control need to improve, or at the very least, more bite on his pitches could help make up for location woes.
The lefty could possibly be called upon in a Game 5 relief spot, but if things go the Dodgers’ way, he won’t pitch until the NLCS, giving him more time to refine things.
