Snell complained of shoulder inflammation April 2 after his second start and took his sweet time recovering \u2014 four months, to be precise. But if his performance against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium is a fair indication, the wait was worthwhile. <\/p>\n
Snell struck out 10 in five scoreless innings of a 9-1 Dodgers victory<\/a>, living up to the \u201cSnellzilla\u201d nickname he stole from his older brother as a brash 11-year-old and still uses as his Instagram handle<\/a>. <\/p>\n In two starts since coming off the injured list, the left-hander in the first year of a five-year, $182 million contract has 18 strikeouts in 10 innings. And he believes the best is yet to come.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are some things I want to do in my next start that I\u2019m excited about,\u201d Snell said. \u201cI still [have] a lot of work to do. I can be better. I\u2019m trying to find a rhythm, trying to figure it out. It was only my second start.\u201d <\/p>\n He got support from the Dodgers\u2019 offense, which was fueled by the long ball early. Max Muncy <\/a>belted a two-run, opposite-field home run in the fourth inning and Shohei Ohtani<\/a> absolutely crushed his 40th long ball of the season 417 feet to dead center in the fifth. It marked the fourth time in the last five seasons that Ohtani has hit at least 40 homers.<\/p>\n Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hits his 40th home run of the season Saturday against the Blue Jays.<\/p>\n (Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n A six-run rally an inning later put the game away. Two hit batters and two walks set the table, and Dalton Rushing and Mookie Betts each delivered two-run singles with none out. Andy Pages drove in the last two with a two-out double, his second hit of the inning. <\/p>\n The win was the second in a row against Toronto (68-50), which remains in first place in the American League East. The series concludes Sunday with another formidable starter \u2014 Tyler Glasnow<\/a> \u2014 taking the mound for the Dodgers (68-49). <\/p>\n Glasnow took a similar if less pronounced path than Snell this season, going on the injured list before the end of April and not returning until July 9. He has given up only one run in four of his five starts since returning and most recently went seven strong innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear that Snell and Glasnow are healthy, their arms as fresh and live as would be expected coming out of spring training. The same is true of Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw<\/a>, two future Hall of Famers whose recoveries from injuries also were methodical and unhurried. Both are pitching well. <\/p>\n And so is Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a>, the only starter whose health hasn\u2019t cost him time off. He\u2019s made 22 starts, going 10-7 with a 2.51 earned-run average and leads National League starters with eight scoreless outings.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is how we hoped it would play out as far as every night, you see the probable [starting pitchers] and have a chance to prevent runs,\u201d Dodgers manager Dave Roberts aid. \u201cAnd you look at the lineup and see you have an opportunity to score runs. Then you go play the game.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dodgers employ a sixth starter to give Ohtani and Yamamoto five to seven days off between starts. The job belonged to Dustin May until he was traded to the Red Sox at the deadline, creating an opportunity for Emmet Sheehan<\/a>, who was impressive over 60 innings as a rookie in 2023, but had Tommy John surgery in May 2024. <\/p>\n Max Muncy, right, celebrates with Freddie Freeman after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning Saturday.<\/p>\n (Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Sheehan has pitched well, posting a 3.00 ERA over 30 innings, giving the Dodgers a luxury they haven\u2019t enjoyed in recent memory: trotting out a starting pitcher every night that can prevent runs through the middle innings. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m pretty pleased,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cYou look at the starters and the next guy is going to try to outdo the next guy and that\u2019s how you build momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n That leaves the bullpen to finish the job, and injuries and inconsistency continue to riddle the relief corps. Roberts said help is on the way, with several key relievers on the mend. If they return as effective as the starters, pitching could be a Dodgers strength entering the postseason.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, right now, watching everybody, it\u2019s a lot better than I thought we were going to be,\u201d Snell said. \u201cThis staff\u2019s stacked.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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