"The big difference-maker was his change-up," Francona said. "It was his ability to manipulate the change-up, even vary it. He'd throw one that was 87 [mph] and one that was 82. And he threw two, three, four in a row at times at times, all different speeds. "You throw a 97 [mph fastball] in there, and it becomes difficult."
"Blake was fantastic tonight," manager Dave Roberts said. "You could see he was in complete control. The fastball was great. The change-up was plus. "Kind of mixing and matching and he really was in control the entire game."
"It felt good to go deep in the ballgame," said Snell, whose seven innings matched a season high. "I felt really in control, I could read swings and just kind of navigate through the lineup."
Blake Snell delivered seven effective innings in Game 1 of the National League wild-card series, combining a plus change-up with a high-velocity fastball to keep Cincinnati off balance. Snell retired the first eight batters, allowed a double and a walk in the third, then retired the next 10, matching a season high in innings. The Dodgers scored enough offense to secure a 10-5 victory despite a late bullpen meltdown. Managers credited Snell’s ability to vary speeds and locate pitches. Given persistent relief issues, letting starters go deeper is presented as a key postseason approach.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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