Blake Snell is set to start the first game of the Dodgers' weekend series against the Nationals at Dodger Stadium, and the matchup lands at a useful moment for both teams. The Dodgers need a steady start from their left-hander, while the Nationals bring a lineup that has done damage against left-handed pitching.
That is why the game is drawing attention now. The Nationals entered the weekend with a 114 wRC+ against left-handers and, before the deadline reshuffling, had the highest ISO in MLB at.181. On the other side, Jackson Kent, a rookie left-handed starter drafted in the fourth round of the MLB Draft, is scheduled to make his fifth major league start against Snell.
Snell has been in control lately even if the command has not been spotless. Over his last three outings, he has allowed only two runs, has not given up a home run and has walked three batters in each game. That mix matters against a Nationals team built to punish mistakes, especially when the first pitch comes from the left side.
The Dodgers also arrive with a little more lift after Tuesday. Will Smith returned from a nearly three-month absence and went 1-for-5 with two RBI in the Dodgers' 13-8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, a result that left Los Angeles 25-25 since July 1 with 25 games remaining. The comeback did not fix everything, but it gave the offense a healthier look after a trying stretch.
What makes this opener harder to read is the gap between the numbers and the shape of the game itself. Snell has been allowing traffic, not damage, while Jackson is still early enough in his big league run that his fifth start says as much about evaluation as it does about the score. For the Dodgers, that turns the weekend opener into more than a routine series start: it is a test of whether a left-on-left edge can hold against a lineup that has already shown it can hit that way.
If Snell keeps the ball in the park and limits the walks, the Dodgers should have the kind of start they need. If he does not, the Nationals have already shown the power to turn a small opening into a much larger problem.
