The Los Angeles Dodgers are adding two of their best starters, Blake Snell and Tarik Skubal, are bringing serious star power to Dodger Stadium.
Finally, after months of rehab and recovery, Snell is pitching for the Dodgers again, this time for the major league club.
He will take the mound on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals, a team with a lackluster offense that will set up Snell for a smooth start.
Skubal takes the ball on Monday, right before Snell, making his full-fledged debut at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers need quality pitching badly; with Skubal putting up one of the only good starts over the last few weeks for LA, he will be tasked with once again keeping the team in the game.
Snell, on the other hand, has the task of sharpening up his pitching for the postseason, all while staying healthy and providing quality innings to a pitching staff rocked with new players entering and exiting the active roster.
LA is riding a six-game losing streak, dropping eight of their last 10 games, mainly due to the bullpen and rotation struggling.
What the Dodgers need from Blake Snell
Snell will likely end up taking Eric Lauer’s spot in the rotation, and from the outset, the Dodgers will likely only push him around 80 pitches before asking more from him as time goes on.
Lauer, for the most part, has been good at preventing runs and putting the Dodgers in spot where they can win, as a former Cy Young award winner, the expectations for Snell will be higher.
Snell has made it clear that his arm feels better than ever after his elbow surgery. He posted a 2.35 ERA and a 2.69 FIP last year in 11 starts
His stuff, at his best, is elite and when he can command his pitches, hitters have a tough time dealing with him.
It is quite exciting to think that the best from Snell is yet to come, though next week will be the first inkling into whether or not that is the case.
