Blake Snell, other Dodgers starters ramping up for playoffs

Six innings, no runs.By most standards, that would be a start worth celebrating.Blake Snell called it a “good starting point.”“I think I can be way better,” Snell said.The more Snell talked about his start in the Dodgers’ 5-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night, the more dissatisfied he sounded.He wasn’t where he wanted to be.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story He isn’t alone.The starters who will comprise the Dodgers’ postseason rotation know that when the playoffs start, they will have to pitch better than they have.

Their team’s inconsistent offense will once again give them little margin for error, perhaps even less than last year with Shohei Ohtani dealing with multiple injuries.If October marks the start of the baseball season in Los Angeles, September is spring training.The pitchers have three weeks to prepare for the starts that will define their seasons, or perhaps even careers.

Up next will be Tyler Glasnow, who pitches Saturday in only his third start since returning from a 3 ½-month absence that was forced on him by back spasms.The night before Snell beat the Nationals, Tarik Skubal was flabbergasted by his stat line in his start against the St.Louis Cardinals: 5 ⅓ innings, two runs, 10 hits, all of them singles.“I mean, 10 singles,” said Skubal, taking solace in how he didn’t give up any extra-base hits. Skubal said he threw the ball well, pointing to how pitches that missed by a couple of inches to either side radically transformed certain at-bats.“In my eyes,” Skubal said, “that’s executing a pitch.”Which isn’t to say he Skubal viewed himself entirely as a victim of dumb luck.“I’ve gotta continue to make pitches and continue to suppress contact and try and get misses w...