The Dodgers unleashed their three finest pitchers on the Pirates over the weekend: Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitching the sequence opener, Tarik Skubal the center sport and Blake Snell the sequence finale on Sunday.
The outcomes were predictable: win, win, win.
“Definitely excited about it,” Snell said.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell completes another inning at the high of the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, August 23, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (This asset – including all textual content, audio and imagery – is offered by Imagn Images. Reuters Connec) IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Snell pointed out that Tyler Glasnow is set to come back from a back damage on Tuesday in the sequence opener in Atlanta, as nicely as how Shohei Ohtani is closing in on his return to the mound.
“It’s going to be a lot of good competition within the starting rotation,” Snell said. “I’m really excited about it.”
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Admonishing himself for chasing strikeouts, Snell was displeased with his efficiency.
“I just gotta be better,” he said.
He still pitched six shutout innings in the Dodgers’ 4-0 victory.
He didn’t like that he walked three batters and hit another. Or that his inefficiency saved him from pitching into the later innings.
“Honestly,” he said, “it’s lazy.”
In the three video games Snell has pitched since returning from a minor process to take away unfastened our bodies from his elbow, he has allowed only two runs in 18 innings.
Snell’s solid-but-unspectacular effort was backed by a similar-quality efficiency by the offense.
The Dodgers collected only six hits but labored 4 walks and turned that into 4 runs. Their first run scored on a double play by Mookie Betts. The other runs were pushed in by No. 8 and 9 hitters Alek Thomas and Hunter Feduccia and a groundout by Max Muncy.
“I liked the way we manufactured runs,” supervisor Dave Roberts said.
Roberts applauded Shohei Ohtani for setting the tone with an 11-pitch stroll to begin the sport. Facing Pirates opener Lake Bachar, Ohtani fell behind in the rely, 0-2, then fouled off the next 4 pitches.
“I love going 0-2 to 4-2, spoiling the pitches and working the count,” Roberts said.
Ohtani stole second base and reached third on a single by Freddie Freeman. Betts’ double-play ball got him house.