'The Blake we know': Snell stifles Red Sox

With Charlie Morton and Yonny Chirinos on the 10-day injured list, the Rays are going to need the rest of the starting staff to provide length in order to take pressure off a bullpen that has been relied on heavily to start the season.

In the Rays’ 9-5 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Wednesday night, Blake Snell answered the call and delivered his best start of the 2020 season. Snell picked up his first win of the season and struck out six over five shutout innings to put the Rays in position to complete a four-game sweep on Thursday.

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“It feels good to see the Blake we know,” said Rays shortstop Willy Adames, who hit the first of the Rays’ four homers in the game. “His stuff is coming along again. I love to play behind him. It’s kind of boring because he strikes out everybody, but when he has a performance like that, you’re going to enjoy it and you’re going to love it. I just wish for him health, and we’re going to be fine.”

The start of the season has been unusual for Snell. After acknowledging that he wasn’t quite ready to provide length after the three-week Summer Camp, Snell and the Rays decided to be careful with the left-hander’s buildup schedule.

In his first three starts of the season, Snell tossed just eight innings, which led him to joke that he’s been more of an opener than a starting pitcher this season. Wednesday served as a reminder that Snell is, indeed, a starting pitcher, and one who has a Cy Young Award sitting in his Seattle home.

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Snell needed just 70 pitches to get through five innings, which is five less than the 75-pitch max that the Rays had given him. Dating back to last season, pounding the strike zone had been an issue for Snell, but not on Wednesday. Of his 70 pitches, Snell landed 48 of them in the strike zone.

“He had everything going,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “We were all really happy and impressed with Blake’s performance. Blake’s got to feel good with this one. . … If Blake Snell is throwing strikes at that rate, a lot more times than not, he’s going to have some really good games.”

The command on the four-seam fastball was particularly encouraging. Snell threw the four-seamer 39 times against the Red Sox, 30 of them going for strikes. Snell got a called or swinging strike on 41% of his fastballs, his highest percentage in a start since June 30, 2019.

Snell's velocity looked the part, too. Snell averaged 96 mph on the fastball, slightly up from his 95.1 mph average so far this season.The 96 mph with the fastball was the highest in a start for Snell since June 9, 2019.

“I was happy with the way I executed today,” Snell said. “The fastball was good, but there were a couple of at-bats that I was upset with the fastball location. Very happy with no walks, that’s huge. Overall, happy with the command of the zone and mixing and matching pitches. I’m getting more comfortable with that.”

As was the case in 2018, the fastball command opened up opportunities for Snell with his three offspeed pitches. With the Red Sox trotting out a lineup heavy on right-handed hitters, Snell utilized his changeup more, throwing it 16 times. He generated seven swings against the changeup, three resulting in swings-and-misses.

Once Snell had the changeup working, he turned to his curveball in his last few innings. Snell threw the curveball 10 times on Wednesday and used it to strike out J.D. Martinez and José Peraza.

“I don’t think it’s ever been a question of his stuff. His stuff has been there since Opening Day,” Cash said. “It’s a matter of commanding it and putting himself in better counts. That was, in my opinion, the difference tonight.”

Snell’s buildup might have taken a little longer than he and the Rays wanted, but Snell said the most important thing is that he feels fully healthy for the first time since the beginning of last year.

“My last couple of outings, I’ve felt like Blake Snell -- I have,” Snell said. “I just feel healthy. That’s the most important thing. I haven’t been able to show that. … But to go five innings and feel healthy was huge for me.”