Blake Snell assessed his six-inning start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 23, 2026, acknowledging that he needed better zone command and quicker adjustments despite feeling effective overall.
“I should have adjusted quicker,” Snell said. He described his overall zone command as good, stating, “when it comes to me commanding the zone, I mean, if you watch the game, you'll know I can command the zone.” Snell also claimed that he had three walks or hit-by-pitch events while still believing he commanded the zone throughout the game.
Snell cited the two-out full-count walks as a problem, saying, “get two quick outs and then full count walk, full count walk.” He explained that his plan is to attack hitters earlier: “Get strike one and then go from there.” He added that he must extend innings and pitch deeper by choosing to “stop trying to get the strike out.”
Snell characterized his current command as improved compared with an earlier stage of his career, saying, “It's not the Blake Snell of, you know, when I was younger.” He also acknowledged his response to disputed home-plate calls, stating, “I got to control my emotions better,” after expressing frustration toward the home-plate umpire.
Snell expressed excitement about competing with Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers for starting-rotation spots, describing “a lot of good competition within the starting rotation.” He said he learns from Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Derek and Tyler Glasnow, and claimed that the rotation would include Yamamoto, Derek, Snell and Glasnow on Tuesday, with Shohei working his way back.