Blake Snell just came back to the mound after a rough stretch, and guess what? He became the first Dodger to rack up double-digit strikeouts in a start since Yoshinobu Yamamoto did it back on July 4. The two-time Cy Young winner absolutely carved up the Kansas City Royals, retiring the first 10 hitters he faced in a row and showing everyone he’s found that rhythm again after a challenging May outing against the Atlanta Braves.
Snell’s Dominance Erases Doubts
Man, you gotta hand it to Snell. After giving up only three hits, one run, and one walk while striking out 10, it’s clear that tough May game was a gut-check. He told Kirsten Watson after the walk-off win that the information from that Braves game really helped him figure out what he needed to do differently. “I had a lot of information from that game to help me with this one on what I wanted to do differently, and how I wanted to start,” Snell said. He was “definitely happy that I was more aggressive, more in the zone and more just in control of my emotions in being the first one back.” His manager, Dave Roberts, summed it up perfectly, calling Snell’s performance “fantastic.” Roberts even pushed him a little, getting him through the sixth inning in his first game back because of how efficient he was. That extra inning was huge, especially when the bullpen almost coughed up a three-run lead in the eighth. This kind of comeback? That’s the stuff you love to see.
Walk-Off Heroics and Much-Needed Consistency
But let’s talk about the offense, because they absolutely needed to step up, and they did. Mookie Betts had a monster night at the plate, just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. He even drove in the tying run that sent the game into extra innings. Look, Betts has been battling it with the stick this season, so moments like Tuesday have been rare. He told Watson, “We’ll just go with a good day at the plate. We seem to have the story over and over again, so we’ll see tomorrow if we can string something together.” That honesty is real, but you know who sealed the deal? Max Muncy, once again. He delivered the walk-off blow in the bottom of the 10th to snatch the series victory against Kansas City. These wins aren’t just one guy, either. As Muncy told Watson, “Everyone is coming together. We’ve been grinding a little bit lately, but each day is a new day. You show up with an opportunity to do something great.”
The Dodgers are finally putting that frustrating seven-game losing streak behind them, having won three of their last four games. They’re grinding it out, making that losing streak an outdated talking point, and Muncy’s right: it’s a whole-team effort. They’ll need to keep that focus tomorrow, building on this win and that two-game streak, because consistent effort is exactly what it takes to turn things around.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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