Forty games remain in the regular season, with the Dodgers and Padres tied atop the National League West. Saturday’s game at Dodger Stadium features a matchup of starting pitchers who have dabbled in excellence and share many similarities.
This is Blake Snell’s 10th major league season, and he’s reached 130 innings twice. Both times (2018 with the Rays, 2023 with the Padres) he won the Cy Young Award. Dylan Cease finished second in Cy Young voting in 2022 with the White Sox, and was fourth last year with the Padres.
Both pitchers strike out a ton — Snell’s career strikeout rate is 30.1 percent, Cease at 28.7 percent — and both walk a lot (10.9 percent for Snell, 9.9 percent for Cease). Cease has been more available to pitch than Snell. Since the start of 2020, with Cease entrenched in the White Sox rotation from the start of the season, he has 166 starts, compared to 118 for Snell.
Since returning from the injured list this season, Snell has been very effective, with 18 strikeouts and three walks with three runs allowed in 10 innings, going five innings in each start. His return, coupled with (Sunday starter) Tyler Glasnow have stabilized a Dodgers rotation that has a 3.12 ERA and 28.9-percent strikeout rate in August while averaging 5 1/3 innings per start.
Cease this season has a 4.52 ERA in 24 starts, but his peripherals suggest a much-better year, with a 3.38 xERA. The Dodgers saw the latter back on June 10 in San Diego with 11 strikeouts and seven scoreless innings for Cease. The Padres’ 11-1 win that night is the only blowout of the season between these two teams. The other games featured three one-run affairs, and two each decided by two and three runs.
The Dodgers turned the tables on Cease on June 16 in Los Angeles, overcoming his nine strikeouts by scoring six runs in his five innings. Cease has 20 strikeouts and six walks in 12 innings against the Dodgers this season. Like Snell, Cease has excelled in his two August starts, with 16 strikeouts and three walks in his 11 innings, allowing only two runs.