LOS ANGELES — They could get used to this.
In his second start back after missing four months with a shoulder issue, Blake Snell struck out 10 in five scoreless innings and the Dodgers got home runs from Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-1 Saturday night.
The Dodgers have been unimpressed by the American League’s best. The Blue Jays came in having won four of their previous five games and 13 of 20 to move to the top of the AL. But they have been outscored 14-2 in the first two games of the series at Dodger Stadium.
“When we’re going well, that’s how it looks,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We put together two complete ballgames. Really pleased.”
For much of this season, starting pitching was the Dodgers’ biggest worry – like the year before and the year before that – but they finally have a full rotation with the return of Snell (and Tyler Glasnow before that) and Ohtani’s buildup as a starter. The results have been just as healthy.
In eight games this month, that rotation has a 1.24 ERA with no earned runs allowed in four of the eight games. Starters have a 0.94 WHIP in those games – and a 5-1 record (the Dodgers’ last two losses were charged to relievers).
“Yeah, this is how we hoped it would play out as far as every night you see the (pitching) probables and you feel like you really have a chance to prevent runs,” Roberts said. “Then you look at the lineup and you feel we have an opportunity to score. … This is how we can go on a run. Tomorrow we’ve got Glas who’s thrown the ball really well then we’ve got Yama. This is where you can sort of make hay.
“You look at the starters and the next guy is going to try to outdo the next guy. That’s how you build momentum.”
Snell looks at the starters around him and sees an even stronger rotation than he expected.
“I mean, honestly right now, watching everybody, it’s a lot better than I thought we were going to be,” he said. “This staff’s stacked.”
The Blue Jays had a difficult time just putting the ball in play against Snell. He struck out six of the first nine batters he faced and 10 of 21 in his five innings. Snell also walked three so only eight balls were put in play during his time on the mound.
Snell’s fastball averaged 96.3 mph and touched 98 mph against the Blue Jays, drawing seven of the 18 swings-and-misses Snell got and weak contact when the Jays hitters did put a bat on it (an average exit velocity of 80 mph and none more than 89.3 mph). His changeup drew eight swings-and-misses.
“Blake was Blake Snell. He had everything working,” Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing said. “He executed the off-speed and executed his fastballs to spots early in the count. Caught hitters in between, and that’s kind of what he does.”
It’s what Michael Conforto watched him do last year when the two were teammates in San Francisco. Bothered by injuries early in the year, Snell finished with a 1.44 ERA over his final 10 starts.
“When Blake’s on, he’s really, really tough to hit. As tough as anybody,” Conforto said. “It’s pretty close to what we were seeing last year when he was really, really dominant. A lot of swing-and-miss stuff. He uses every pitch, even if it looks like a big miss, he’ll use it to his advantage. And he’s just a smart pitcher in that way. He’s using everything.
“So he’s got all the stuff, but he’s also a great competitor and a really smart pitcher as well. If we’re getting that Blake Snell, it’s going to be great for us.”
The Dodgers started slowly on offense, then poured it on, batting around during a six-run sixth inning.
Muncy sliced a two-run home run into the seats down the left field line in the fourth inning to start the scoring. Since returning from the Injured List, Muncy is 6 for 13 with half of the hits being home runs.
An inning later, Ohtani launched his 40th home run of the season 417 feet to straightaway center field. Ohtani has a hit in every game this month, going 14 for 31 in the first eight games of August.
“That was one of those swings where he was behind the ball. He stayed into the ground,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s homer. “I know he and the hitting guys have been working on some things mechanically. That was as good of a swing as you’re going to see.”
The game tipped lopsided in the sixth inning when the Dodgers got a two-run single from Rushing and Mookie Betts and a two-run double by Andy Pages.
Since ending a career-long 0-for-22 stretch on Tuesday, Betts is 7 for 16. He has five RBIs in the past two games after driving in a total of five runs in his 25 games before Friday.
“I just think our offense is starting to ramp up the focus, the intensity,” Roberts said. “I just see better fight. I see better quality of at-bat. I think we had four or five walks tonight. So controlling the strike zone, letting the guy behind you take an at-bat. Situationally I thought we were really good tonight.”
Conforto left the game after his at-bat in the sixth inning when he was hit in the side of the right knee by a pitch. Afterwards, he said he was fine and didn’t even need X-rays.
“We’ll just see how sore it is tomorrow and then go from there,” he said.
The Blue Jays will start a left-hander on Sunday (Eric Lauer) so Conforto will likely be on the bench.