The Dodgers had a bit of a scare when Blake Snell left tonight’s start in Cincinnati after one inning. The team announced that he is dealing with tightness in his left groin. It doesn’t seem to be a serious problem. Dylan Hernandez and Jack Harris of The California Post reported that this was a precautionary removal and that Snell was hopeful of making his next start. The two-time Cy Young winner put it similarly, telling reporters (including Fabián Ardaya of The Athletic) that his groin was tight in his pregame warmup and didn’t improve during the first inning. He opted not to push, but said he believed he would make another start before the end of the regular season. The Dodgers’ focus obviously extends beyond next week. They are well positioned to secure a top-two seed and an automatic bid to the Division Series, which begins October 3. They have already clinched the NL West and are 3.5 games ahead of the Braves heading into the first round bye. Snell will likely line up as the third starter in a playoff series behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tarik Skubal. There’s a good chance they won’t need him to make his playoff debut until October 6. Snell has been limited to 38 2/3 innings in the regular season this year. He started the year on the shelf with shoulder fatigue. He subsequently missed three months between May and August due to loose bodies in his elbow that required the NanoNeedle procedure. Snell has had a history of groin injuries, missing twice while with the Giants in 2024 due to groin strains. He said after the game that he doesn’t feel this is as serious as the previous injuries. Justin Wrobleski and Landon Knack will have a tandem start for tomorrow’s finale at Great American Ball Park, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (via Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register). Knack will be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City and Bobby Miller will have the option to return. They haven’t announced rotation plans for this weekend’s series in San Francisco, but they could keep up with Tyler Glasnow followed by Skubal and Yamamoto. They’re waiting to determine how Roki Sasaki fits into that mix. The second-year right-hander has been out since Aug. 27 due to a blister on his middle finger. He pitched a four-inning simulated game on Wednesday, according to MLB.com’s injury tracker. The Dodgers have not determined whether Sasaki will return to the rotation or move to short relief in preparation for his likely postseason role. In other Dodgers-related news, Mark Walter and Todd Boehly officially sold their stakes in English Premier League team Chelsea FC on Wednesday. Each of them owned almost 13% of the franchise. The Financial Times reports that they sold their stake for a combined £950 million (approximately $1.27 billion) to Clearlake Capital, the investment firm founded by new Padres owner José E. Feliciano. The sale comes shortly after Walter also sold the NBA’s Lakers while his insurance companies are under scrutiny. (ESPN’s James Olley reported last month that Clearlake’s relationship with Boehly, in particular, had deteriorated in recent years.) Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten flatly stated in August that the owners had no plans to sell the baseball franchise and rejected the suggestion that potential cash flow problems would have any impact on the Dodgers’ payroll.
