What does Blake Snell have in store for an encore? Last Friday in Cincinnati, Snell threw his first career complete game in a no-hitter against the Reds. The San Francisco Giants left-hander struck out 11 and allowed three walks to pick up his first victory of the season as the Giants won 3-0. Snell (1-3, 4.29 ERA) will look to author another strong performance on Wednesday evening when the Giants play the third contest of their four-game series against the host Washington Nationals. Snell's 114-pitch gem on Friday was his first that ventured past the eighth inning -- and it came just after the power pitcher stayed put at the trade deadline. Notably, in the afterglow of his no-hitter, Snell acknowledged one of the criticisms he's heard in a career that includes a pair of Cy Young Awards and an All-Star selection: his ability to throw a full game. "Complete game. Shutout. No-hitter. Leave me alone," Snell said. "Just did it." Snell is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in six career starts against Washington. Wednesday's game will be Snell's second matchup against Washington this season. The first was on April 8, in Snell's first game with the Giants after signing late in spring training as a free agent. He allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in three innings in an 8-1 loss. Snell will face a Nationals team that rebounded from a 4-1 setback in the series opener on Monday with an 11-5 victory on Tuesday. Snell has dealt with injuries this season -- first an adductor strain, and then a groin injury. He had a 9.51 ERA over his first six starts. He's a different pitcher now. In his last five starts, Snell has an 0.55 ERA, allowing just two earned runs in the last 33 innings. He had a career-high 15 strikeouts in six innings July 27 against the Colorado Rockies in the outing before the no-hitter. He says he's focused more on attacking hitters early with his fastball and not trying to get "cute," even with his effective curve. Snell will face Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin (8-9, 3.56 ERA) on Wednesday. Irvin, 27, fell to 1-3 in his last five starts after allowing four runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings of an 8-3 setback to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. He has yet to face San Francisco in his young career. The Giants jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first inning on a pair of homers Tuesday but were 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position. "Our situational at-bats were terrible again," manager Bob Melvin said. "That's been a problem here for a couple of weeks now." The loss was only San Francisco's third in the team's last 11 games. The Giants reside 4 1/2 games out of the last wild-card spot in the National League. If San Francisco is to make a postseason run, though, it will be without infielder Wilmer Flores. Melvin said Tuesday that Flores would miss the rest of the season following surgery to address tendinitis in his right knee. "It affected what he was doing this year," Melvin said. "Last year he led the team in home runs and was about as clutch a guy you could possibly have. He was fighting it all year." --Field Level Media
Aug 2, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the third inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports