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By Nelson Espinal
Contributing Sports Reporter
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Los Angeles Dodgers ace Blake Snell has dominated during the MLB playoffs, delivering masterful performances that have allowed the team's bullpen to not be exposed as much.
The Dodgers arguably have the worst bullpen left in the playoffs. The group of relievers struggled to hold leads or keep Los Angeles in games, often resulting in blown saves or inflated run totals that made the hill too high to climb for the offense.
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When projecting to the playoffs, the pen was viewed as the team's Achilles heel, but the Dodgers' starters have been able to go long enough into games to avoid bringing in the bullpen.
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Snell has been one of the key starters for the Dodgers, making good on the big-money contract that he signed over the winter.
The southpaw has always been considered a high-level pitcher. This postseason, he has kicked it into high gear and is really delivering.
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During an interview with TBS, Snell was asked about what had helped him turn it on, and he pinpointed the key to his current efficiency.
"Going to San Francisco is probably, that's where I learned how to pitch. I was around Logan Webb. And man, he's going seven innings. It's like every game, he's going seven innings," Snell said on TBS.
"And I just would talk to him, like, 'how you doing it? Like, what are you thinking of?' And he's like, 'Man, I just, I'm in the zone. Like, you're just not in the zone enough. You strike too many people out.'
"Like, man, that year in San Fran was so big for me, just being around Logan and really learning how to pitch."
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Snell has thrown 21 postseason innings this year, posting an 0.86 ERA and striking out 28 batters. More importantly, his five walks total is considerably lower than usual, and it has helped him go deeper into games.
Logan Webb is known for keeping his pitch count low during most outings, and he seemingly passed along some tips for Snell to stay longer in games.
Even more astounding is the fact that Snell has allowed just two hits all postseason long, showing how much his stuff is not allowing hitters to make good contact, if any at all.
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