Dodgers LHP Blake Snell tests playoff readiness against Giants

Left-hander Blake Snell will get an opportunity to prove he's healthy and deserving of a spot in the postseason rotation when he starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a three-game road series against the San Francisco Giants continues on Saturday afternoon.

With the National League West title assured, the No. 2 seed in the NL playoffs locked up, and a first-round bye secured, the Dodgers got a brilliant pitching performance from imported ace Tarik Skubal in a 2-0 win in the series opener Friday.

Coming off his worst outing with the Dodgers, having allowed four runs over five innings in a 10-4 loss to the Giants in Los Angeles last week, Skubal demonstrated his readiness for Game 1 of the National League Division Series next week by striking out 10 in seven shutout innings on Friday.

Skubal is 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA since the Dodgers acquired him from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline last month.

The Dodgers (98-62) would love to see something similar from Snell (4-1, 1.86 ERA), the oft-injured left-hander who pulled himself from his most recent start after one inning on Sept. 16 because of tightness in his left groin.

Concerned that he might need an MRI or some time off, the Dodgers were comforted in watching the veteran throw a bullpen session the next day, allowing him to remain on schedule for Saturday's dress rehearsal for a front-line spot in LA's bid for a third consecutive World Series title.

Snell, who said his goal had been to get through five innings last week in Cincinnati despite feeling a twinge in his groin while warming up, said afterward that having experience with injuries led to a personal decision that might have saved his season.

"I strained it four different times," he told reporters about his painful career. "For me to stop, that's a first. That was definitely the right move."

The start in San Francisco will be his first since he pitched one season for the Giants in 2024. In fact, he hasn't faced his old mates anywhere since joining the Dodgers last year, retaining a 5-1 record and 1.61 ERA in nine career starts against them.

The 33-year-old has a winning record at Oracle Park in San Francisco, going 3-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 15 starts. Eleven starts came in 2024, when he went 1-2 with a 2.85 ERA in 11 home outings.

The Giants (65-95) will counter with a left-hander, rookie Matt Wilkinson (1-3, 3.65 ERA), who threw five shutout innings, allowing three hits, and didn't get a decision in a 3-1 road loss to the Dodgers on Sunday. It was his first outing against Los Angeles.

Having pitched in relief in his two previous appearances before the gem at Dodger Stadium, the 23-year-old brings a streak of 10 shutout innings into the game, having limited opponents to five hits without issuing a walk. He struck out 10 in those 10 innings.

Giants manager Tony Vitello would take a repeat of Friday's pitching performance in the rematch. Starter Yunior Marte and relievers Sam Hentges, Joel Kuhnel, Dylan Smith and Tristan Beck combined to limit LA to seven hits, but San Francisco still has lost three games in a row.

"The best way to win is to throw the first punch (offensively)," Vitello told reporters after the game. "We weren't able to do that, but maybe with the way those guys pitched, (the offense) can support the effort the next two days."