LOS ANGELES — Blake Snell walked off the mound Friday night with 100 pitches on his arm, six scoreless innings in the books and another reminder that, even after returning from the injured list, there may be another level to his game.
That might be the most encouraging part for the Dodgers.
Snell was dominant when they needed him to be, holding the Washington Nationals scoreless through six innings in a 5-3 victory at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. He allowed five hits, walked two and struck out seven to earn his third win of the season.
And yet, Snell wasn't satisfied.
“I think I could be way better,” Snell said. “I think I can locate the fastball in, out, up, down. I think I could do that better. Right now, I'm just missing. I'm around the zone, but just missing. I think I could be even better.”
That assessment might sound strange after a scoreless outing, but it speaks to where Snell believes he can take his game as he continues to build himself back up.
His previous start in Detroit had offered a similar glimpse. Snell struck out 10 Tigers over five innings, but the Dodgers' offense managed only one run in a 2-1 loss. Even after an impressive strikeout total, Snell wasn't particularly pleased with his performance.
Friday was different.
This time, the Dodgers gave him enough support, and Snell made sure it held up.
The biggest threat came in the sixth inning, when Washington put runners on the corners with nobody out. Snell responded the way an ace is expected to respond: a fly ball, a strikeout and a grounder ended the threat and his night.
One hundred pitches. Six innings. No runs.
“I thought he was good,” Dave Roberts said. “Obviously, I think that, you know, he wasn't as efficient as he would have liked, in the sense that the pitch count was a little higher. But I thought the misses were near, and I really felt he was going after the guys.”
The Dodgers' offense, meanwhile, provided Snell with something it couldn't give him in Detroit: an early cushion.
Washington left-hander Jackson Kent opened the third inning by walking Kyle Tucker and Kiké Hernández. Mookie Betts followed with an RBI single to center field, putting the Dodgers ahead 1-0.
Then came Teoscar Hernández.
With runners on the corners, Hernández lined a two-run double into the same area where he delivered Thursday's walk-off hit. Betts, who had started the inning on first, raced around the bases and slid home safely.
Just like that, the Dodgers had a 3-0 lead.
For an offense that had spent much of the recent weeks searching for consistency with runners in scoring position, the sequence felt significant.
Maybe the switch has finally flipped.
The Dodgers added another run in the fourth when Tommy Edman reached on an error. With two outs, Edman hit a slow roller toward Nasim Nuñez, who couldn't complete the exchange from glove to hand as he tried to make the play. Alex Call scored from third, pushing the lead to 4-0.
Then Tucker finally ended two long waits of his own.
King Tuck! pic.twitter.com/w1GSSkhahX
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 5, 2026
His last home run had come nearly a month earlier, on Aug. 8 against the Diamondbacks. His last homer at Dodger Stadium had come even longer ago, June 15.
On Friday, Tucker erased both droughts with one swing. His solo shot in the sixth inning gave them a 5-0 advantage and gave Snell even more breathing room.
“I just try to go up there and take it day-by-day,” Tucker said.
With the postseason approaching, however, Tucker knows the Dodgers are running out of days.
“The whole goal for us is to win another World Series,” Tucker said. “So, however fashion, we need to get that done, we need to do that. So, obviously, we got to get to the end of the season and get into the playoffs.”
For most of the night, it looked as though the Dodgers would cruise to another comfortable victory.
Then came the ninth.
Roberts handed a five-run lead to Seth Halvorsen, but he couldn't record an out. Brady House led off with a double, and Abimelec Ortiz followed with an RBI single to center to make it 5-1.
José Tena then singled, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. Roberts had seen enough.
Jack Dreyer entered and stopped the bleeding, recording the final three outs. But not before Washington added two more runs. Ortiz scored on a fielder's choice, and James Wood doubled home another run, with both runs charged to Halvorsen.
The Dodgers ultimately escaped with the victory, but what could have been a stress-free finish suddenly required Dreyer to protect a two-run margin. Still, the night belonged to Snell.
Five starts into his return from the injured list, he continues to look increasingly comfortable. The results have been strong, and perhaps more importantly, Snell believes there is still plenty of room for improvement.
That's a scary proposition for opposing lineups.
The Dodgers will turn to Tyler Glasnow on Saturday night with a chance to win the series. Washington will counter with Cade Cavalli.
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Sep 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) in the dugout during the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium.
As for Shohei Ohtani, Roberts said he had not yet decided whether the superstar would return to the lineup after receiving two consecutive days of rest. Roberts said he planned to speak with Ohtani Friday night before making the decision.