LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers will turn to Blake Snell in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, throwing another southpaw starter against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium.
Snell, like Skubal, has won two Cy Young Awards in his career. But for Snell, his two Cy Young years (2018, 2023) are the only two times in his 11-year career he’s reached even 130 innings in a season. Snell has only started 20 times in the regular season in the first two seasons of his five-year, $182 million
contract with the Dodgers.
But he made an impact last postseason, with a 3.18 ERA in five starts plus one relief appearance, with 41 strikeouts (a 31.5-percent strikeout rate) and 13 walks in his 34 innings. In his career, Snell has a stellar 3.27 ERA in 18 postseason appearances, including 15 starts, with 102 strikeouts and 36 walks in 82 2/3 innings.
“If you want to be a Hall of Famer, if you want to be a legend in the game, I think it all happens in October,” Snell said Saturday. “The regular season sets you up in a lot of ways, but the postseason definitely is what could cement you, stamp you as a Hall of Famer is how you pitch in those games.”
After Saturday’s NLDS opener was televised by Fox, Game 2 on Sunday will be on FS1.
Reggie Smith, who was inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball this August, will throw the ceremonial first pitch before Game 2, and saxophonist Mike Phillips will perform the national anthem.
NLDS Game 2 info
- Teams: No. 2 seed Dodgers vs. No. 3 seed Dodgers
- Series: Los Angeles leads, 1-0
- Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
- Start time: 5:03 p.m.
- TV: FS1 (Joe Davis, John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal)
- National radio: ESPN Radio (Dave O’Brien, Jessica Mendoza)
- Local English radio: AM 570 (Charley Steiner, Rick Monday)
- Local Spanish radio: KTNQ 1020 AM (José Mota, Luis Cruz)
