Dave Roberts explains leaving Blake Snell in as Brewers rally past Dodgers in Game 3
Roberts said Snell’s pitches still looked effective when he stayed in for two seventh-inning home runs. Milwaukee’s 6-2 win left Los Angeles facing elimination.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Blake Snell’s pitches still looked effective when he kept the starter in during a decisive seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on Oct. 14. Milwaukee hit consecutive home runs off Snell, won Game 3 of the National League Championship Series 6-2 and took a 3-0 series lead over Los Angeles.
Why Roberts kept Snell on the mound
Snell had allowed a home run on the first pitch of the game but no further runs through six innings, striking out nine, CBS Sports reported. The Dodgers moved ahead 2-1 in the sixth on Will Smith’s two-run double. Snell then walked Andrew Vaughn to open the seventh, bringing Jake Bauers to the plate.
Roberts said Milwaukee’s hitters did not seem to be seeing Snell well and that he wanted the pitcher to face three more batters before turning to Evan Phillips, according to CBS Sports. Once Bauers’ plate appearance was underway, Roberts believed Snell should finish it. Bauers homered on the 11th pitch of the at-bat.
Roberts kept Snell in for Garrett Mitchell, saying Snell’s pitches and pitch count still justified the matchup. Mitchell also homered. Dodgers Nation reported that the seventh-inning sequence turned a Los Angeles lead into a 4-2 Milwaukee lead; CBS Sports said it was the first time Snell had given up consecutive home runs to left-handed batters.
Snell’s account and the Dodgers’ next game
Snell praised Bauers’ long at-bat and said he had thrown everything he had, Dodgers Nation reported. He thought a better-located fastball might have changed the result. Giving up three home runs was frustrating, he said, and something he needed to learn from. The outlet reported that Snell had not allowed a home run earlier in his limited playing time this season.
CBS Sports reported that shoulder and elbow issues had limited Snell’s season. His six strong innings before the seventh made Roberts’ decision consequential: the Dodgers had a narrow lead, but Milwaukee’s two home runs put them behind. Los Angeles scored no further runs after the sixth, according to a separate Dodgers Nation account of the game.
Snell said the Dodgers needed to come together and find a way to win while facing elimination, according to Dodgers Nation. Game 4 was scheduled for Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. Pacific time, an hour earlier than its previous scheduled start.
Read in depth: Sports
Four arrested in shooting of 49ers player Keion White; charges reported in San Francisco
The arrests span California and Georgia after White was shot at a San Francisco nightclub in February. Reports differ on one suspect’s charges.
Atlanta Dream to open full State Farm Arena for WNBA Finals home games
The Dream plan to make roughly 17,000 seats available for Finals Games 3 and 4 after limiting capacity for earlier playoff games. Public ticket sales are scheduled for Friday...
Sources and context
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explains leaving Blake Snell in before costly back-to-back home runs in Game 3CBS Sports
- Dave Roberts’ Game 3 Management Comes Under Fire After Dodgers LossDodgers Nation (republished by Yahoo Sports)
- Dodgers’ Blake Snell Explains What Went Wrong in Pivotal 7th InningDodgers Nation (republished by Yahoo Sports)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
Topics in this story
More from Sports
Illustration