SAN DIEGO -- Blake Snell just wanted one more shot at that vaunted Dodgers lineup last October. He had to wait six long months instead.

At long last, Snell is slated to face Los Angeles on Sunday, as the Padres and Dodgers wrap up their riveting three-game series at Petco Park. Snell, of course, got an early hook from Game 6 of last year’s World Series by Rays manager Kevin Cash. He exited while working on a shutout, only for the Dodgers to rally against the Tampa Bay bullpen and clinch their first title in 32 years.

It didn't sit well with Snell at the time. Still doesn't. But Snell is clearly looking to move past that night and put his focus on dethroning the Dodgers in 2021 with his new team.

"People will look into it as much as they can," Snell told MLB.com. "But once we play tomorrow and as it gets going, I think people will talk about it less and less, and it'll be more what can you do for me now. I had a good game against them in the World Series. I had a couple of good games against them in the World Series.

"But that was then, and now I have to face them Sunday, and I have to be a lot better and find a way to give our team a chance to win."

Still, Snell can clearly appreciate the nature of such a high-profile showdown with Los Angeles. During his introductory news conference after he was traded to the San Diego in December, Snell said he wanted to pitch in every Padres-Dodgers series this season.

He got his first taste of the rivalry on Friday night and said it compared to some of the Rays-Yankees games he took part in during his stint in the AL East -- only ratcheted up to a different level.

"It honestly felt like postseason baseball, which was really cool," Snell said. "The energy, the feel, the vibe, the fans -- the fans brought it the other night, from both sides. I'm really looking forward to this. I think it’s two really, really good teams with really good fan bases that make every game feel like must-win games. I think it's more powerful of baseball games than what the Rays versus the Yankees were."

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Snell is coming off the second shortest start of his career, in which he lasted just two-thirds of an inning in Pittsburgh on Tuesday while allowing three runs. Manager Jayce Tingler noted he likely would've kept Snell in the game had it not been so early in the season, with caution at the forefront.

In any case, Snell will be as fresh as he can possibly be for his first crack at the Dodgers since that fateful Game 6. He hasn't rewatched that game and doesn’t intend to. Snell makes it very clear that his primary focus isn’t on what transpired last October. It’s on the present -- and ensuring a return trip to the Fall Classic, this time with a different club (and, he hopes, different results).

"My mindset is more about what I can do to dominate tomorrow and find a way to continue to grow in order to become the player I want to be," Snell said. "I don't get wrapped up in what happened or what I've done because it doesn't matter. I can't adjust anything that has happened. But I can focus on what is going to happen."

Machado, Pomeranz ailing
Funny the way a knock-down, drag-out 12-inning fight with a division rival has a way of bringing all sorts of nagging ailments to the fore.

Third baseman Manny Machado has been dealing with back spasms and endured some left shoulder soreness after a slide the ninth inning on Friday night. He played through it and practically created the tying run himself, working a walk, stealing second base, going to third on a ball in the dirt and scoring on Eric Hosmer's two-out single.

"He was playing through pain, but you look at his at-bats, you look at the plays he was doing defensively, he's just a warrior out there," Tingler said.

Sure enough, Machado -- who received extensive treatment before the game and did not participate in a team-wide infield drill -- was back in the lineup, batting third and playing third base on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Tingler disclosed his reasoning behind his curious usage of left-hander Drew Pomeranz on Friday night. Tingler said he was hoping to avoid using Pomeranz altogether, because the left-hander had been dealing with some mild shoulder soreness.

Ultimately, however, when Austin Adams put two men aboard in the eighth inning, Tingler summoned Pomeranz anyway. He allowed one of his two inherited runners to score.

Worth noting
• Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. were presented with their NL Silver Slugger Awards prior to Saturday night's game against the Dodgers. Center fielder Trent Grisham will be honored with his Gold Glove Award on Sunday.

• The Padres placed right-hander Dan Altavilla on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation on Saturday. They promoted left-hander Nick Ramirez and moved lefty Matt Strahm to the 60-day IL, as he continues his slow recovery from surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee.