Subscribe
Follow Us
The Los Angeles Dodgers turned to Blake Snell in the second game of a pivotal series against the San Diego Padres. The two-time Cy Young winner followed Clayton Kershaw’s vintage performance in the series opener with a dominant outing. And Snell got some help from Will Smith early in the divisional grudge match.
The Dodgers’ All-Star catcher was dialed in on Saturday, throwing out three San Diego runners in the first two innings. Smith's strong defensive effort kept Snell out of trouble after he gave up hits to four of the first five Padres batters.
“Early on, just kind of feeling out where I was at, they had some good hits. Will kind of held it down. Through two innings he had three outs and I had three outs. We were competing. But no, that kind of set the tone,” Snell said, per Dodger Blue.
Many can make the argument that Will Smith is the best catcher in baseball.
He has thrown out 3 runners for the first 4 outs of today’s San Diego Padres ha Los Angeles Dodgers game 👀 pic.twitter.com/mwOEhbqsjI
— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) August 17, 2025
Incredibly, Smith was responsible for three of the first four outs the Dodgers recorded. After losing Game 1 of the series 3-2 the Padres decided to be aggressive on the base paths. But Smith was ready for San Diego.
Will Smith helps Dodgers dominate in divisional clash
Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the game with a single to right field. He attempted to steal on an 0-1 four-seamer but Smith gunned him down. Later in the first inning, with two on and two out, the Padres attempted a double steal. Manny Machado took off for second on a 2-2 fastball and Smith nailed him with a perfect throw, ending the inning.
The Dodgers took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the inning and the Padres went right back to running in the top of the second. After Xander Bogaerts reached on a leadoff single, he decided to test Smith’s arm. While Bogaerts picked a changeup to run on, the result was the same. Smith gunned him down.
After getting caught stealing in three consecutive attempts, the Padres stopped running. And after a shaky start to the game, Snell settled in. The 10th-year veteran allowed five hits and two walks in six scoreless innings.
Snell hasn’t given up a run in his last two starts, earning back-to-back wins. Since he returned from the IL on August 2, the lefty ace has allowed three runs on 13 hits and five walks while racking up 21 strikeouts in 16 innings.
The Dodgers dropped in the standings earlier this week following a four-game skid. It was the first time LA lost the division lead since April. However, with two straight wins against the Padres, the Dodgers have reclaimed first place in the NL West.
