The Dodgers were one inning away from a deflating sweep at the hands of the Cards, but ifs don’t come into play. And thanks to Teoscar Hernández, the Dodgers now host the Nats with a lighter, freer mood, even more so since the Brewers lost to the Cubs last night. Settling in nicely since getting activated about a month ago, Blake Snell will face the Nationals in the first game of this weekend series.
Upon his return, Snell couldn’t possibly be more thoroughly living up to his reputation. Unwilling
to give in, the former Cy Young winner has walked more than his fair share of batters in recent outings—three in each of the past three, to be precise. Part of why those free passes haven’t come back to bite him, allowing just two runs in this period, has been his ability to keep the ball in the park, with no homers during this stretch.
Despite the reshuffling at the deadline, meaning this Nats team no longer has the exact same lineup that placed it with the highest ISO in the big leagues (.181), there is enough power here for a formidable opponent. Only the Cubs have a better track record against left-handed pitching than the Nationals in the NL, entering play this weekend with a 114 wRC+ against southpaws.
Snell will be opposed by Jackson Kent. And if I had a nickel every time the Dodgers were facing a rookie left-handed starter—drafted in the fourth round of the MLB Draft, making his fifth start in the big leagues—I would have had two nickels in the last two days—which isn’t a lot—but, strangely, this has happened twice in a row.
Friday game info
- Teams: Dodgers vs. Nationals
- Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
- Start time: 7:10 p.m.
- TV: SportsNet LA
- Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
