Blake Snell returns from the Dodgers’ loss to the Atlanta Braves

If the game was considered an extension of spring training, which it was for Blake Snell, the Dodgers’ 7-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night could be classified as a success.

After missing the first six weeks of the season, Snell has been throwing hard in his early season.

His fastball touched 98.1 mph, and the average pitch velocity was 95.9 mph.

So he was healthy, at least.

Snell’s last line was bad – five runs (four earned), six hits and two walks in three innings – but he wasn’t as bad as his numbers suggested.

Snell struck out five batters, as the Braves hit 16 of his pitches. Things were there.

What was lacking was sharpness, and that was to be expected, given that he was scheduled to play in a minor league game on this day. Tyler Glasnow’s recent back injury forced Snell to return to pitching earlier than expected.

Snell loaded the bases in the first inning before registering an out, but was able to limit the damage with a solo run by striking out two of the next three batters.

The Braves added four runs in the second inning, two on a bases-loaded single by Ozzie Albies, who set off a changeup, and two more on a line drive by Matt Olson, who hit a high slide.

Snell left the game after throwing 77 pitches in three innings.

But Snell has looked like a series of minor changes since returning to his traditional form, and a start against him showed how much of a difference a week can make for a pitcher in his position.

Sidelined by an oblique strain until last week, Strider made his season debut in Colorado and was charged with three runs, four hits and five walks in 3 ⅓ innings.

A former All-Star and 20-game winner, Strider was at his best against the Dodgers. He shut out the defending World Series champions in six innings, limiting them to a hit and two walks.

What does it mean

The loss was something of a reality check for the Dodgers.

In the series opener the night before, they scratched and scored against Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale to earn a 3-1 victory.

If that game showed their ability to capitalize on opportunities to win tough games, their loss on Saturday was a reminder of how elusive their offense can be on a given night.

The Dodgers allowed Spencer to complete six innings on 91 pitches and collected just two hits in the first seven innings. Their only runs came on a two-run homer by Andy Pages in the bottom of the ninth inning.

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Who is hot

There are certainly no knockers.

But left fielder Jack Dreyer pitched a scoreless fourth inning and retired the only batter he faced in the fifth.

Dreyer has not allowed a run in 8 ⅓ innings over his last eight games. His earned run average dropped from 4.35 to 2.41 in that span.

Who is not

Brock Stewart didn’t work for long.

Three days after being transferred to the active list, the talented but frail nurse was back on the injured list, this time with a bone in her left foot.

Stewart missed the first six weeks of the season as he recovered from a procedure he underwent last September to clean up his right shoulder. He pitched two scoreless innings in his short time on the active roster – one inning on Wednesday against the Houston Astros and one on Friday against the Braves.

The Dodgers acquired Stewart from the Minnesota Twins last year in exchange for outfielder James Outman.

Next

In the pitching competition, the Dodgers will start Justin Wrobleski, 5-0 with a 0.56 earned run average as a starter. The Braves will be going up against Bryce Elder, who made the All-Star team in 2023 but has since been down. The senior will enter this game with a 3-1 record and a 2.02 ERA in eight starts.