Snell sees velo downtick, but attributes it to paternity leave disruptions

LOS ANGELES -- Although Blake Snell's velocity was noticeably down during his start in Friday night's 3-0 loss to the D-backs, the drop did not flag as a long-term concern for the Dodgers, considering the circumstances.

“I had a busy week, man," Snell said. "A lot going on."

Physically, Snell felt fine. But between this start and his previous one, he wasn't able to prepare the way he normally would. And for good reason, as he and his wife, Haeley, welcomed their second child to the world.

Considering the diminished fastball velocity that he was working with, Snell put together a decent outing on the mound that would have been enough for the Dodgers to get the job done on some nights.

But Friday was not one of those nights.

Snell gave up three runs across 5 1/3 innings, but Dodgers hitters were stymied by Zac Gallen and the D-backs' pitching staff in a shutout loss at Dodger Stadium. Despite dropping the series opener -- and snapping a four-game winning streak -- Los Angeles retained its two-game lead in the NL West because San Diego also lost.

"We just really couldn't put anything together all night long," manager Dave Roberts said. "For me, I think we just got to wash this one and focus on [Eduardo] Rodriguez tomorrow."

At first glance, Snell's start was fairly standard. He struck out eight against three walks. He didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning, when he served up a two-run homer to Blaze Alexander. He only gave up four hits in total, concluding with Gabriel Moreno's RBI single that chased him from the game with one out in the sixth.

But throughout the evening, Snell's four-seamer lacked its usual zip. He averaged 93.7 mph on the offering, down 1.7 mph from his season average. His secondaries seem to have saved him, as he got a combined 16 whiffs on his changeup, curveball and slider -- but none on the fastball, a career first.

In 218 Major League starts, Snell has only averaged less than 94 mph on his four-seamer 16 times. Every occurrence before Friday came from 2016-17.

"Blake was fine," Roberts said. "It's been a weird week for him, just having the baby and kind of trying to readjust and the throwing schedule, the sleep schedule, all that stuff. I think today he just didn't have a whole lot in the tank tonight."

Snell expressed a similar sentiment. He said he's "zero worried" about the downtick, and by following his normal throwing routine in between starts, his velocity should be more typical next time out.

"It is what it is. It’s what I had today," Snell said. "Just gotta be better.”

In every outing, Snell puts an emphasis on reading his opponents' swings and gathering information. Friday proved especially educational, given that he was working without his best stuff.

More so than the velocity, Snell was unhappy with the location of his pitches on the D-backs' pair of run-scoring hits. He threw a fastball down and in to Alexander, who launched it into the home bullpen. The changeup he threw to Moreno was outside, but elevated.

"It was just bad pitches," Snell said. "I don’t think they found ways. I think bad pitch, down and in, just not a good pitch. … Moreno’s hit was just a changeup that was up. If I get it down, it’s different. It’s frustrating. But I know what I need to do."

Even if Snell had managed to prevent those runs from scoring, his offense did not fare well against Gallen and three D-backs bullpen arms. The Dodgers drew four walks but notched only three hits, a performance reminiscent of their first two games in San Diego last week.

Since then, the Dodgers had been pleased with the production at the plate and the complete team wins they had achieved. Although they took a step back on Friday, they believe it says more about the arms they faced than where they're at as a team.

"When the pitcher deserves the credit, you have to give it to him," said Teoscar Hernández. "And it was one of those days."