{"id":40469,"date":"2026-08-12T09:00:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T04:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=40469"},"modified":"2026-08-12T09:00:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T04:00:46","slug":"blake-snell-dominates-with-10-strikeouts-in-dodgers-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=40469","title":{"rendered":"Blake Snell dominates with 10 strikeouts in Dodgers return"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2FCOMP-BLAKE-SNELL.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Dave Roberts said multiple times in recent days that Dodgers pitcher <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/11\/sports\/blake-snell-returns-dodgers-rotation-on-mission\/\">Blake Snell looks like a man \u201con a mission.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Turns out, the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/11\/sports\/derek-carr-shows-dodgers-dave-roberts-love-after-ucla-coach-news\/\">veteran skipper<\/a> might have been underselling it.<\/p>\n<p>In his latest return from a long-term injury with the Dodgers on Tuesday, Snell started making up for lost time in a hurry, spinning a six-inning, one-run gem against the Kansas City Royals to kickstart what he hopes is a dominant finish to the year.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Dave Roberts said multiple times in recent days that Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell looks like a man \u201con a mission.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The left-hander began the night looking almost untouchable, retiring not only the first 10 batters he faced but seven of them via strikeout.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He gave up a run in the fourth (which only came after a broken-bat single, seeing-eye grounder and sacrifice fly) but stranded a couple of runners in scoring position later in that inning, then another at third base with no outs in the fifth.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>And from there, he put a promising final touch on his long-awaited return to the Dodgers\u2019 rotation, punctuating a three-hit, one-walk, 10-strikeout night by retiring the side in the sixth inning.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Cali - Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia&#8217;s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It was, even with a limited workload of 84 pitches, a resounding reminder of his two-time Cy Young Award-winning talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust talking to Blake over the last couple weeks, he\u2019s as good as he\u2019s felt in a long time,\u201d Roberts said pregame. \u201cThere\u2019s a little swagger. There\u2019s a little kind of standing tall.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Staying upright at all, of course, has been a challenge for the 33-year-old star pitcher ever since he signed a $182 million contract with the Dodgers two offseasons ago.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>It was, even with a limited workload of 84 pitches, a resounding reminder of his two-time Cy Young Award-winning talent.\u00a0 <span class=\"credit\">Wally Skalij for CA Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In his first spring with the team, he developed a shoulder injury that would plague him throughout the 2025 regular season, limiting him to just 11 starts. And though he returned in time to play a key role in the playoffs \u2013\u2013 making five starts, three of them gems, plus a relief appearance in Game 7 of the World Series \u2013\u2013 his shoulder issue lingered into the start of this year, delaying his season debut until May 9.<\/p>\n<p>More troubles arose immediately after that three-inning, five-run start against the Atlanta Braves.<\/p>\n<p>Snell experienced arm pain that led to a diagnosis of loose bodies in his elbow. He underwent a surgical procedure on May 19 (using <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/19\/sports\/blake-snell-has-new-surgical-procedure-to-remove-elbow-bone-spurs\/\">the revolutionary and less-invasive NanoNeedle technique<\/a>) that forced him to endure another elongated rehab process.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>California Post News<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCaliforniaPost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@CaliforniaPost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@thecaliforniapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029Vb6a2IV1NCrL6q2AWq0E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post Sports<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capostsports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/capostsports\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CaliforniaPostSports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post  <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Opinion<\/a> <br \/><strong>California Post Newsletters<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/email.nypost.com\/#california-post\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up here!<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post App<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download here!<\/a><br \/><strong>Home delivery<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.californiapost.com\/defaultCAP\">Sign up here!<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/><\/a><strong>Page Six Hollywood<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/hollywood-signup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p>This time, however, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/31\/sports\/blake-snell-has-one-more-box-to-check-before-dodgers-return\/\">Snell came back feeling healthy and refreshed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>His surgery, he said, alleviated not only his elbow discomfort, but also his ongoing shoulder pains as well as numbness in his fingers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell reacts to a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, August 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij for CA Post) <span class=\"credit\">Wally Skalij for CA Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>His stuff, he felt during his recovery, was in as good of a spot as it had been in years, leaving him increasingly anxious for Tuesday\u2019s activation from the injured list.<\/p>\n<p>Snell came out on the attack against the Royals, striking out the side in the first inning with a clinical 13-pitch sequence. He immediately had command of his fastball, dotting it at the top of the zone and to either side of his plate. <\/p>\n<p>He used three different pitches to put batters away, snapping off a full-count changeup to Nick Loftin, a 98 mph heater that blew away Bobby Witt Jr., and a late-breaking, dirt-biting curveball that Jac Caglianone helplessly swung through.<\/p>\n<p>After that, Snell didn\u2019t really slow down. None of the three hits he allowed came on hard contact (the third, a leadoff double in the fifth from Tyler Tolbert, was a blooper down the right-field line). None of the four times the Royals took an at-bat with a runner in scoring position could they find a way to solve him.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, it was nothing short of an all-around masterclass; one that might have (once again) been a long time in the making, but could foreshadow a flurry of dominance from Snell down the stretch this year.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dave Roberts said multiple times in recent days that Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell looks like a man \u201con a mission.\u201d Turns out, the veteran skipper might have been underselling it. In his latest return from a long-term injury with the Dodgers on Tuesday, Snell started making up for lost time in a hurry, spinning a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/COMP-BLAKE-SNELL.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}