What does Snell's dazzling 12-K gem mean for his future with the Giants?

BALTIMORE -- Ever since Blake Snell twirled his Aug. 2 no-hitter against the Reds, it’s been widely assumed the Giants left-hander will choose to opt out of his current deal at season’s end to retest the open market, looking to maximize his value after a protracted free agency last winter.

With every strong start down the stretch, like the brilliant outing Snell put together Tuesday night at Camden Yards, the likelihood of him doing that only increases.

Snell showed little mercy for the slumping Orioles, dazzling with six one-hit innings to steer the Giants to a 10-0 victory at Oriole Park. Snell struck out 12 and allowed only three baserunners in one of his finest starts of the season, and San Francisco piled on late against Baltimore’s ‘pen to snap its four-game losing streak in emphatic fashion.

“I had a lot of energy to hit today, let’s put it that way,” said right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, who had a homer and an RBI single. “I didn’t have to do a whole lot out there and got to just watch the show. [Snell] is unbelievable, and he’s on top of it right now. You can see every pitch has a purpose, and it’s really fun to watch.”

Said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde: “That was six unbelievable innings, honestly. He had multiple pitches going on the corners and throwing 97, 98 [mph] with a really good changeup. He won the Cy Young last year for a reason, and he was just on tonight.”

Pitching with an early lead provided in part by Yastrzemski’s leadoff homer, Snell retired 14 of his first 15 batters and struck out five of his final eight. He was in such complete control that he even felt confident doing something he hadn’t done in over seven years: throw a changeup to a left-handed hitter.

“I haven’t thrown that pitch in forever to a lefty,” Snell said.

It’s true. Snell had only thrown nine changeups to left-handed batters in his entire career entering Tuesday, according to Statcast data, and he hadn’t done so since he threw one to Brett Gardner on July 29, 2017.

That was until he faced Gunnar Henderson in the fourth inning on Tuesday, when he threw a 1-2 changeup that the shortstop swung over the top of for strike three. Snell did the same on his 98th and final pitch of the night in the sixth, getting Henderson swinging again on a 2-2 changeup. After the game, he said he couldn’t remember ever previously using that pitch against a same-side batter.

”Maybe [the others] were backup sliders?” Snell said. “I don’t remember doing it.”

But he also said he was intentional about breaking that rule against Henderson.

“He’s such a good hitter,” Snell said. “There is a reason I threw him changeups. I respect him.”

Said Henderson: “He didn’t really seem to miss over the plate today. He’s got, obviously, electric stuff, being the Cy Young last year. He showed that tonight.”

That final swing-and-miss was the 11th of the night Snell got with the change, tied for the most in a single game in his career. He also got 11 swing-and-misses with the changeup on Aug. 30 against Miami.

On Tuesday, Snell also threw 24 sliders, by far the most he’s thrown in a start this season, though a far cry from his career high of 53 on Aug. 8, 2018. Orioles hitters swung at eight of them and missed six.

“When he gets on a roll like that, sometimes it’s pretty tough to stop,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “When he gets on runs like this, he knows what’s working on a particular day. It doesn’t have to be all four pitches. If there is one that’s really working or one he thinks works for a particular team, he dials it in.”

It was just further proof of the elite ceiling Snell would bring to the open market if he does opt out of his current deal -- as if he needed to provide another example. A member of last year’s infamous “Boras Four,” Snell struggled to find the deal he wanted after winning his second career Cy Young Award, ultimately landing with the Giants for two years and $62 million.

Snell is finishing his first year in San Francisco extremely strong. He improved Tuesday to 4-0 with a 1.33 ERA in 13 starts since coming off the injured list in early July. He’s given up two or fewer runs in 12 of those 13 starts and hasn’t been tagged with a loss since April 19.

The Giants have still lost 15 of their past 23 games to fade from the National League Wild Card race. But they’ve won 13 of Snell’s last 16 starts.

“He’s a special pitcher, and I’d like to play behind him for the rest of my career,” Yastrzemski said. “It’s pretty cool to see how dominant he can be.”