'In the zone': Snell goes six innings, fans 11

SAN DIEGO -- From the moment they acquired him, the Padres made it clear they intended to use Blake Snell differently than he’d been used with the Rays. Famously, of course, Snell was lifted early from Game 6 of the World Series last October. But philosophically, that was more or less the norm. The Rays never gave Snell much leash. He rarely pitched deep into games, and since July 21, 2019, Snell had not completed six innings.

The Padres have no such philosophical stance. In fact, they'd prefer it if Snell were to chew up innings the way he’s always wanted to. Thing is, upon Snell's arrival in San Diego this season, his first handful of starts didn't merit much of a leash. He rarely threw strikes with any consistency, and his pitch counts soared. Entering play Tuesday night, Snell still hadn't completed six innings.

And then, just like that, in the Padres' 2-1, 10-inning victory over the Rockies at Petco Park on Tuesday night, Snell was the dominant, strike-throwing version of himself that the Padres envisioned when they sent four players to Tampa Bay to acquire him in December. His stuff was electric -- as always. But, more importantly, it was electric in the strike zone.

“When I’m at my best, I’m just in the zone,” Snell said postgame. “That’s really it.”

Snell was in the zone pretty much all night Tuesday, striking out 11 while allowing one run on five hits with a lone walk. He threw 97 pitches, 67 of them for strikes, and his fastball command was particularly precise. It all resulted in Snell's first six-inning outing in 28 starts, postseason included.

Afterward, Snell said that, no, there really wasn’t much sense of relief after clearing that hurdle. This year, no, he hadn’t earned his way through the sixth inning. But last year in Tampa Bay, he felt there were a handful of times he had. The most famous of those was Game 6 of the World Series against the Dodgers, when Snell was removed while working on a shutout with one out in the sixth. But it happened more than once.

“I pitched a lot of great games where I was getting pulled early,” Snell said. “Y’all are going to go to one game. But I’m talking about a lot of games. … That’s just how it went. But it was good to go six. I’m telling you, just give me some time, we’ll get it going.”

Indeed, Snell says his goal is to make six, seven, eight innings the norm in San Diego, and the Padres are content to let him do so. That’s especially true considering the way their bullpen has been taxed early this season.

So what’s the key to Snell being able to work so deep into games with regularity? It’s simple, he says.

“If I can command the zone, I’m good,” Snell said. “If I can go strike one, strike two, I have a lot to work with, and they have a lot to think about. It’s going to continue to put me in a good spot to go seven, eight, nine.”

San Diego's offense didn’t offer Snell much support on Tuesday night, and the game went to extras tied at 1. Right-hander Pierce Johnson stranded Rockies runners on second and third in the top of the 10th.

In the bottom half, Jorge Mateo went to third on Brian O’Grady’s sacrifice bunt and scored by racing home on Daniel Bard’s wild pitch to end it -- the first walk-off wild pitch in Petco Park history and the first for the Padres in 30 years.

“I’m ready for every situation there, ready for the possibility of a wild pitch,” Mateo said. “... I’m going to be a little bit more aggressive in that situation with the game on the line.”

Tuesday night marked Mateo’s first start since he returned from the injured list after spending seven days on the sideline due to MLB’s contact tracing protocols for COVID-19. Last week, the Padres placed five players on the injured list with COVID-19 related issues, and they’re slowly beginning to get that contingent back.

In the interim, they haven’t missed a beat. Tuesday marked the Padres’ fifth-straight victory, and they’re now 7-1 since those players hit the IL. Eric Hosmer is expected back on Wednesday, and it’s possible Fernando Tatis Jr. could join him.

“There were a lot of people that went down,” Snell said. “I was lonely. ... I’m definitely excited for the whole gang to get back together and continue to win ballgames.”