Padres pregame: Blake Snell looking to carry momentum into September; Ohtani not in Angels lineup

Padres starter Blake Snell is making his first start of September after posting a 1.72 ERA in six starts in August

Sept. 7, 2021 4:26 PM PT

September is already seven days old, but the month is new to Blake Snell.

The Padres are hoping it’s as kind to him as August, when he posted a 1.72 ERA over six starts (36 2/3 IP). In fact, the 28-year-old Snell enters Tuesday’s 7:10 p.m. start against the Angels, his first this month, having not allowed a hit since Dodgers catcher Will Smith’s eight-inning homer off him on Aug. 25.

Snell (7-5, 4.31 ERA) threw 122 pitches that night.

Of course, he was sitting on seven no-hit innings in his previous start, on Aug. 31, when he was lifted with 107 pitches on his ledger.

Snell is making his fourth career start (1-1, 3.94 ERA) against the Angels and first since allowing four runs — three earned — in 3 1/3 innings in 2019.

Here is how current Angels have fared against Snell, although Mike Trout (calf) is on the injured list and Shohei Ohtani, with no DH in play this series, will likely come off the bench:

The Padres' Blake Snell vs. current Angels

With a left-hander on the mound for the Angels, Fernando Tatis Jr. will man center field over the left-handed-hitting Trent Grisham, Tommy Pham is in left and Wil Myers is in right for an all right-handed-hitting outfield.

In fact, with Jurickson Profar at first base over Eric Hosmer and Ha-seong Kim at second base over Adam Frazier, the only lefties in the lineup are shortstop Jake Cronenworth in the three-hole and Snell batting ninth.

For the Angels, left-hander Packy Naughton (0-1, 4.00 ERA) has struck out four against five walks through his first nine innings in the majors. He allowed two unearned runs on three hits and two walks in relief against the Padres in Anaheim last month.

The lineup went 3-for-17 with two walks and two strikeouts. Cronenworth, Manny Machado and Austin Nola all singled.

Here is the Ohtani-less Angels lineup, which is not a surprise given that the two-way phenom has only moved to the outfield after beginning the game as either a pitcher or as a pinch-hitter: