Hot Rods' Snell continues strong stretch

When it looks like Blake Snell might be wishing he was anywhere else, he's actually in the only place on the planet he wants to be.

Tampa Bay's No. 9 prospect pitched five shutout innings on Saturday night, allowing two hits and matching four walks with four strikeouts, as Class A Bowling Green took down Great Lakes, 5-2, at Dow Diamond.

"I felt real calm and poised on the mound," Snell said, "just because my bullpen before [Saturday's start] and my previous game were both on. I've been feeling really loose, free and easy. It hasn't been really hard to throw the ball and hit my spots."

The 52nd overall pick in the 2011 Draft, Snell got his outing off to an inauspicious start when he walked the first man he faced. But despite working with traffic on the basepaths in each inning, he was never burned. Even a leadoff triple by Spencer Navin in the bottom of the fifth couldn't break the lefty's rhythm.

"I get so comfortable on the mound, I feel like it just looks like I don't want to be there," Snell said. "Really, I'm so zoned in on the glove, that's the only thing I care about. It's cool to get into that rhythm and not worry about anything but hitting the glove."

That confidence has continued to grow with three straight strong starts. Snell has allowed just two runs on 11 hits over 17 innings during that stretch to get his ERA down to 2.16, which ranks ninth in the Midwest League.

"Last year was tough for me, just to get to the point where I am now mentally," Snell said of his first Midwest League tour, during which he went 4-9 with a 4.27 ERA in 23 starts. "A lot when I was in high school and when I started my pro ball, it was like that [feeling of confidence]. I had a bump in the road last year that really helped me get back to what I'm doing now."

Snell let his defense go to work behind him on Saturday, recording nine outs on the ground and not a single flyout. He finished his night by punching out No. 14 Dodgers prospect Jacob Scavuzzo.

"When I had nine strikeouts [in his last start at Lake County], that was just me trying to get ahead and stay ahead," the 21-year-old said. "I just got lucky with some pitches. They missed or they took it, and that's how I ended up getting those nine. Today, I just wanted to get ahead. They were swinging and just hitting ground balls for me. It was nice that I got four strikeouts, but really, I'm not trying to strike anyone out. I just want them to swing and put the ball in play and see what my infield and outfield can do behind me."

The Washington native's recent run of good outings came on the heels of his one troublesome start of the season. On April 29 against South Bend, Snell was charged with four runs -- three earned -- on three hits while lasting 1 2/3 innings.

"You're going to have bad starts, it's going to happen," he said. "I saw [Dodgers starter Clayton] Kershaw had a bad start tonight, and he dominates all the time, two-time Cy Young winner. It's going to happen. You've just got to adjust to it, get the confidence back and just start rolling again like you know you can. If you dwell on, 'Oh, I had a bad start,' maybe you're going to dwell on it the next start. That can start a cycle you don't want."

Snell was in line for the win, thanks to Granden Goetzman's RBI double in the first inning, but Great Lakes tied it in the sixth on Paul Hoenecke's solo homer.

The Hot Rods regained the lead in the eighth as Juniel Querecuto plated Yoel Araujo with a one-out double. Bowling Green added three runs in the ninth, two on a single by Alexander Simon.

"If I get [the win] or not, it really doesn't matter as long as the team's winning," Snell said. "Wins and losses, to me, really don't matter for my sake. If I put us in a situation to win a ballgame, that's really all that matters."

Jorge Rodriguez (1-0) picked up the win, allowing a run on one hit while striking out three in three innings.

Like his counterpart, Great Lakes starter Jonathan Martinez did not figure in the decision. He gave up one run on six hits over seven innings, fanning one without walking a batter. Michael Johnson (1-2) was charged with four runs -- three earned -- on five hits over two frames.