Dominant Snell gives 'a huge boost' to Dodgers

He strikes out 12 over seven scoreless innings in a 5-0 win over the Phillies.

- BY JACK HARRIS

GINA FERAZZI Los Angeles Times BLAKE SNELL'S strong outing helped the Dodgers maintain their slim lead in the National League West.

Dave Roberts started out of the dugout with a walk. Once Blake Snell caught his gaze, it turned into a trot.

With two out in the seventh inning Wednesday night, and Snell trying to put the finishing touches on his best performance in a Dodgers uniform, Roberts appeared to be coming to the mound after a pair of walks to turn to his shaky bullpen with a three-run lead.

As he usually does when removing a pitcher, his gait was slow — at least initially.

Once Snell saw him coming, however, Roberts picked up his pace — as he will sometimes do when electing to leave a pitcher in the game.

"You know what, in that situation, I was actually 50/50," Roberts said. "Obviously, 99.9% of the time, I've got my decision made. But in that moment, I was kind of up in the air."

This time, Roberts did the unexpected.

After a brief discussion with his starting pitcher, he let Snell stay in.

"He's one of the guys that we have to push," Roberts explained afterward. "He's got the track record for it. The DNA, the talent to do it. So it's important.

"For us to win 13 games in October, we're gonna need certain guys to be pushed and go deeper."

Five throws later, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, and $182-million centerpiece of the club’s offseason, rewarded the decision. He sent Otto Kemp down swinging with a 95-mph fastball. He authored an emphatic ending to his scoreless seven-inning start, one that lifted the Dodgers to a 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies to maintain a two-game lead in the National League West standings.

"It’s one of those moments," Roberts said. "He was adamant he wanted that last hitter. And I trusted him. And he finished him off the right way. Just a huge boost for us. Just a great performance from pitch one."