Blake Snell exits start after just one inning

Snell left Wednesday’s game with groin tightness. It looks like he’ll be limited to one tuneup appearance prior to the postseason.

Snell elaborated that he experienced some left groin tightness while warming up and decided not to push it after throwing a scoreless opening frame against the Reds. He also noted that it’s not as severe as groin issues that he’s dealt with in previous years. There should be a clearer idea of his next steps once he resumes throwing in a couple days. The positive news for the Dodgers is it doesn’t appear to be a worst-case scenario for Snell with the playoffs right around the corner.

Not good. The hope for the Dodgers is that Snell’s early departure was for precautionary reasons since he has a history of groin issues in previous seasons. Any sort of extended absence would be a significant hit to Los Angeles’ postseason rotation. The 33-year-old southpaw exited after throwing just 19 pitches in a scoreless opening frame in Cincinnati. The lone positive takeaway here is that he isn’t dealing with anything arm-related. He’ll presumably head for further evaluation and imaging to determine the severity of the issue and his next steps. There should be some additional clarity on his outlook following the contest.

Snell gave the Marlins fits all night on Friday, limiting them to just three hits through the first five innings before giving up a single to Javier Sanoja with one out in the sixth. Snell would exit after the hit by Sanoja but was charged with an earned run after Augustín Ramírez doubled to bring home Sanoja on the next at-bat. Snell has been dominant since returning to the mound, allowing just four earned runs in his six starts since August while pitching 34 2/3 innings. Now sitting on a 1.91 ERA, Snell will look to stay hot in his next start, which is set for Wednesday on the road against the Reds.

Snell threw 100 pitches, and 65 of those landed for strikes. It wasn’t as dominant as his start last weekend against the Tigers when he whiffed 10, but he was just as effective, if not more so. The 33-year-old has been sensational when healthy enough to pitch in 2026, and his ERA is now at a healthy 1.97. Obviously, Snell has to be in fantasy lineups for Wednesday’s scheduled start at home versus the Reds.

It’s Snell’s 40th career 10-strikeout game. He’s the 39th pitcher to record that many and joins Max Scherzer (114), Chris Sale (95), Justin Verlander (73), Gerrit Cole (64), Jacob deGrom (64), Yu Darvish (50) and Robbie Ray (40) among active pitchers with 40. Nolan Ryan is the all-time leader at 215, followed by Randy Johnson at 212. Despite being about 100 back, Scherzer is actually third behind those two. Snell, who has allowed a total of three runs in four starts since coming off the IL, will likely face the Nationals on Friday.

Snell has been outstanding since returning from the injured list, and has given up a total of two runs over those 17 innings with a K/BB of 18/7 in that timeframe. The left-hander whiffed six in this one, and generated a solid 17 swings and misses over 94 pitches — 62 of those for strikes. He’ll have a good chance to keep the good run going against the Tigers next weekend.

It’s the same line he had in his return from the IL last week against the Royals. Snell got into trouble in the third, when he issued all three of his walks on the evening to consecutive batters. However, he escaped allowing just the one run, and he was great the rest of the night. He’ll likely face the Braves on next Tuesday, unless the Dodgers want to get a little aggressive and start him on four days’ rest Sunday against the Pirates.

Snell came out sharp in his first start since May 9, striking out the side against the Royals in the first inning. He retired the first ten Royals hitters before Bobby Witt Jr. reached on a single in the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Salvador Perez. Snell gave the Dodgers two more scoreless frames, collecting ten strikeouts over six innings in an outstanding return to the mound. He’ll look to follow it up with a start against the Rockies in Colorado on Monday.

Snell makes his return to Los Angeles’ rotation with a start against the Royals on Tuesday following a three-month absence after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow back in May. The 33-year-old southpaw’s checkered injury history remains an omnipresent concern for fantasy managers. However, he should be an impactful contributor, especially in the strikeout department, over the final six-plus weeks of the season.