In the time Blake Snell was healthy this season, he was brilliant.
Dave Roberts opted to start Snell in Game 2 of the NLDS against Atlanta on Sunday, which saves Yoshinobu Yamamoto — who was widely expected to pitch in either of the first two games after another Cy Young worthy campaign — for Game 3.
Snell dealt with a myriad of health issues in 2026, from the shoulder fatigue that delayed his debut until May 9 to the ensuing elbow procedure that sidelined him for three months.
That singular spring start was against Atlanta, where Snell only pitched three innings while relenting four earned runs. It was clear the discomfort was the cause, because when Snell returned in August, the former Cy Young winner delivered a 1.13 ERA through eight starts.
Braves vs. Dodgers Game 2 prediction, best bet
He struck out 50 batters in 39 ⅔ innings. That works out to 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings and 6.25 per start despite averaging fewer than five innings.
Roberts’ decision to start back-to-back left-handers was a direct result of how the Braves have struggled against them this year: Atlanta finished below the league average in Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+), a bottom-10 .696 OPS and the 11th highest strike out total in baseball.
Snell relies heavily on expanding the zone and missing barrels rather than pitching to soft contact early. That’s an advantageous approach against a Braves lineup that likes to chase pitches and makes contact with those swings at the fourth-lowest rate, per Statcast.
Snell’s reputation as a strikeout artist is what the Dodgers are banking on in the postseason. The 33-year-old has produced an 11.6 K/9 in the playoffs.
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His strikeout clip has gone north of 30 percent in eight of his last nine seasons, including the limited action in this one, where he hit 10 strikeouts in two starts.
Although neither of the Phillies’ left-handed starters eclipsed 6.5 strikeouts against the Braves, I like Snell to hit this number in Game 2.
THE PLAY: Blake Snell Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-134, DraftKings)
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Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
