Snell wanted to face LA. He proved up to the challenge

LOS ANGELES — Earlier this month, as the Padres laid out their rotation plans for the stretch run, pitching coach Ruben Niebla came to Blake Snell with a question. The Padres had been riding Snell fairly hard through the Dog Days. If Snell wanted an extra day of rest, the team could bump his scheduled start to Friday night in Oakland.

Snell did not want that extra rest. He wanted the ball. He wanted the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

And, sure enough, with six scoreless innings against one of the best offenses in baseball, Snell delivered his most emphatic Cy Young statement to date.

Behind Snell’s efforts, the Padres cruised to a 6-1 victory on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. Snell pitched six utterly dominant frames, striking out eight, walking one and allowing just one hit, as San Diego earned its first regular-season series victory over L.A. in its last 13 attempts. (Last October’s NLDS upset, of course, notwithstanding.)

In the process, Snell lowered his ERA to a Major League-best 2.43. He also leads the National League in hits per nine innings (5.98) and batting average against (.186), while ranking tied for second in strikeouts (217, behind Spencer Strider’s 259). Snell entered Tuesday’s start already the apparent frontrunner for the NL Cy Young Award — but with a handful of other contenders on his heels. 

Then, on the road, in one of the sport’s toughest environments against one of the sport’s toughest lineups, Snell more than held serve. He dominated.