Blake Snell blames bad luck after latest World Series letdown puts Dodgers on brink of defeatBy BETH HARRISAP Sports WriterThe Associated PressLOS ANGELES<\/p>\n
LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 Blake Snell thinks bad luck had about as much to do with his Game 5 struggles as the Toronto Blue Jays.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuck plays in baseball, too,” he said.<\/p>\n
The two-time Cy Young Award winner gave up two home runs on his first three pitches<\/a>, then faltered again late in a 6-1 loss Wednesday night that put the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers on the brink of a Fall Classic defeat.<\/p>\n The Blue Jays took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and can steal the title away from LA with a win Friday in Game 6 in Toronto.<\/p>\n Snell allowed back-to-back homers to Davis Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the first back-to-back leadoff homers ever in a Series game. Each of the first three pitches were fastballs, and Snell\u2019s next 22 pitches after that were offspeed.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst pitch of the game, 97 (mph) fastball up and in, he hits it 98, it goes out,\u201d Snell said of Schneider. \u201cPretty unlucky. Vlad, yeah, that\u2019s just a bad pitch.\u201d <\/p>\n He said he didn\u2019t think he was giving away any cues on the type of pitch he was going to throw.<\/p>\n \u201cI just think they\u2019re ambushing a fastball,\u201d he said. \u201cThey just read swings and they\u2019re ambushing, as they should and as I thought they would.\u201d<\/p>\n Snell overcame the early trouble only to give up a leadoff triple to Daulton Varsho in the fourth on a ball hit 75.6 mph.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not one to make excuses or anything close to that, but that\u2019s pretty unlucky,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Snell couldn\u2019t finish the seventh inning. He left runners on first and third after a walk, a single and two wild pitches, and the Blue Jays leading 3-1. Still, the sellout crowd of 52,175 stood to applaud.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, just frustrated,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt good, I felt strong. I\u2019ve been training to be ready for this and be strong. I trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n Edgardo Henriquez replaced Snell and walked Guerrero. Addison Barger, who singled and moved up on Snell\u2019s pair of wild pitches, scored on Henriquez\u2019s wild pitch, making it 4-1. <\/p>\n \u201cAgainst a really good pitcher like him, you have to be ready to hit. He\u2019s going to come after you, he\u2019s going to challenge you,\u201d Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. \u201cThere\u2019s a time to grind \u2019em and there\u2019s a time to be ready to hit. Just pretty cool it worked out the way it did.\u201d<\/p>\n Snell gave up five runs and six hits in 6 2\/3 innings, struck out seven and walked four on 116 pitches.<\/p>\n \u201cHe gave us everything he had,\u201d Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. \u201cI think that early on they were just on the fastball, and you got to sort of adjust if that\u2019s the case.\u201d<\/p>\n Snell began strongly in his first postseason with the Dodgers, who signed him to a $182 million, five-year deal last winter. Snell had an 0.86 ERA in his first three starts. <\/p>\n In the NL Division Series, Snell allowed one hit<\/a> in six shutout innings and struck out nine as the Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 to take a 2-0 series lead.<\/p>\n