The Dodgers dropped a tough 3-2 game to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, a loss that now sends the National League Division Series back to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4. Blake Snell’s early exit was the painful truth of this one, as the Braves lineup got to him and then chipped away at the bullpen for two crucial runs after he left. It’s a gut punch for a Dodgers team that just needed one more win to put the Braves on the brink of elimination.
Snell’s Struggle: A Familiar Story Against Atlanta
This wasn’t Snell’s first rough go against the Braves this year, and that’s the part that’s gotta sting the most for Dodgers fans. Back on May 8, in his 2026 debut, he only managed three innings and gave up four runs to Atlanta before hitting the injured list. While he looked like his dominant self after returning in August, facing the Braves again was the real test. And man, did they test him.
The first inning started okay, with a quick out against Drake Baldwin. But then Ronald Acuña Jr. singled, and Snell walked both Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies to load the bases. Michael Harris II flying out for the second out offered a sliver of hope, but Mauricio Dubón immediately slapped an infield single to bring home the game’s first run. Snell faced seven hitters and needed a whopping 27 pitches just to get through that opening frame. His biggest problem? He just couldn’t find a way to get quick innings, a stark contrast to how Tarik Skubal pitched the day before. The second inning saw him get two outs on four pitches, but then a six-pitch walk to Baldwin and another eight pitches to strike out Acuña Jr. The pattern continued into the third, where Harris singled with two outs, taking Snell’s pitch count for that inning to 19 after 18 the inning prior.
The Bullpen Takes Over, Questions Linger
Snell’s night ended abruptly in the fourth. He walked two more hitters and tossed another 26 pitches before the Dodgers had to pull the plug. He finished the night having thrown 90 pitches, but only 47 of them were strikes. While Freddie Freeman bailed him out by hitting a home run in the bottom of the fourth to get Snell off the hook for the loss, the Dodgers were forced into a de facto bullpen game. Six relievers came out of the pen to cover the final 5 1/3 innings.
It’s a far cry from his postseason heroics last year, when he faced the minimum over eight shutout innings in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers. This Sunday’s outing marks the first time he’s failed to log four innings in a postseason start since way back in the 2022 Wild Card series against the New York Mets when he was still a Padre. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was quick to shoot down any concerns about Snell’s left groin inflammation, which limited his final regular season start to just one inning. Roberts flat out said, “No, it wasn’t that. He was fighting himself in his delivery all game.” When your manager says you’re battling yourself on the mound in a crucial playoff game, that’s a tough pill to swallow.
With the series now tied 1-1, the pressure is squarely on the Dodgers as they head to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4. This early exit from Snell has shifted the entire momentum, and now every pitch in Georgia is going to feel like the season is on the line.
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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