Currently two and a half games clear at the top of the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to extend their division lead. The San Diego Padres are hot on their heels, looking to close the gap. Both teams are playing division rivals this weekend, as the Dodgers are ending a three-game set in San Francisco against the Giants. Meanwhile, the Padres are finishing up a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies in Denver. The Pads captured the series opener Thursday night, shutting out Colorado 2-0.
The Dodgers will need to come up big in San Francisco, as a series win is the desired result. It would put the onus on the Padres to keep up just to maintain their current deficit. While San Diego should have an easier time with Colorado, don't let the Rockies fool you. The Dodgers visited Coors Field last month and lost a series there. If the Padres aren't careful, then they could also end up series losers in the Mile High City.
If the Dodgers pull out a series win in San Francisco, another series against their hated rivals awaits. Right now, the series is tied at one game apiece. After losing the Friday night opener 5-1, the Dodgers came back and won 13-7 on Saturday. Sunday's game could lead to an increase in their current lead over the Padres. After last season's World Series triumph, many expected Los Angeles to run roughshod over the NL again this season. Yet, the Dodgers' inconsistent form has plagued them at times. The team's starting rotation will need to be the engine that drives the team's repeat hopes. Former Cy Young award winner Blake Snell will be at the heart of those efforts.
The Dodgers need Blake Snell to pitch like his previous Cy Young form
Snell is a former two-time Cy Young Award winner. A winner in both the AL with the Tampa Bay Rays, as well as with the Padres in the NL, the 32-year-old also pitched for the Giants last year before hitting free agency again. This past winter, he surprisingly joined the reigning world champions on a six-year, $182 million deal. Snell and rookie Roki Sasaki's additions were supposed to be the final pieces of the puzzle for the Dodgers' rotation.
Even though Sasaki's first season hasn't gone to plan, Snell has certainly made an impact. After missing the majority of the season's first half, the lefty returned to the big-league rotation at the beginning of August. Since his return against the Rays, Snell has thrown at least five innings in each of his starts. His worst performance was against the Pirates on September 4th, where he allowed five earned runs over five innings in Pittsburgh.
As good as Snell has been, the Dodgers will need him to be even better. The team has been plagued by uneven performances since the All-Star break. They've also dealt with injuries and bouts of ineffectiveness as well. At the moment, this does not look like a team that will win back-to-back World Series titles. In fact, there's still a scenario in which this team doesn't make the postseason at all. Can Snell and a now-deeper Los Angeles rotation, which includes Japanese sensations Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, plus the electric Tyler Glasnow, help steer the Dodgers back on track? If not, this year's potential October run could be much shorter.
