LOS ANGELES \u2014 Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was tracking right-hander Emmet Sheehan\u2019s velocity against the Texas Rangers Thursday, but it wasn\u2019t going to be his primary measurement of the start.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think right now, where he\u2019s at, the hitters will tell us the most, not the radar gun,\u201d Roberts said before the Dodgers\u2019 6-3 win.<\/p>\n
Sheehan had both in his first quality start of the season.<\/p>\n
Just look at the way he attacked Jake Burger in the sixth inning to close his outing. Sheehan threw three fastballs in the at-bat. That pitch averaged at 95.2 mph on Saturday, almost 11\/2 mph over his season average. And even as his pitch count climbed into the mid-70s, he was sitting at around 94 mph.<\/p>\n
The last pitch he threw was a slider off the plate. Burger was able to get a piece of it, but only enough to ground out to first.<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s start was Sheehan\u2019s best based on both consistency and results. He held the Rangers to three runs and four hits in six innings.<\/p>\n
He was cruising through most of it \u2014 other than the two home runs he surrendered to Rangers leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo.<\/p>\n
Sheehan turned around his start immediately after the first long ball, on the second pitch of the game.<\/p>\n
He came in throwing hard, pumping 96.2 mph on the first fastball, a ball inside, and 95.7 on the second. The latter drifted over the plate, and Nimmo lined it to straightaway center field, just over the \u201c395\u201d printed on the wall.<\/p>\n
Sheehan, undeterred, retired the next eight batters. Nimmo hit a two-out ground-rule double that bounced over the left-field fence in his next at-bat, but Sheehan struck out Ezequiel Duran on a slider to quickly end the inning.<\/p>\n
Only two Mets besides Nimmo reached base against Sheehan. Evan Carter drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, and Josh Jung led off the sixth with a single into shallow center field.<\/p>\n
Other than that, Sheehan recorded six strikeouts and generated mostly groundball contact.<\/p>\n
He was also pitching with a lead for most of his outing, thanks to a solo homer from Shohei Ohtani and three-run shot from Teoscar Hernandez in the first. The Dodgers added to their lead in the third inning with two walks, a single, and a run-scoring double play.<\/p>\n
So, when the Rangers\u2019 lineup turned over again, and Nimmo stepped up to the plate with a runner on base in the sixth, Sheehan was working with a four-run cushion.<\/p>\n
Sheehan stayed away from his fastball, but Nimmo managed to get a hold of an inside slider.<\/p>\n
Again, Sheehan responded with three straight outs, this time all infield grounders.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers\u2019 bullpen turned in a scoreless performance for three innings. And in the eighth, center fielder Andy Pages kept up his red-hot offensive start to the season with an RBI single into left field for insurance.<\/p>\n
\u2014Snell feels good after live BP<\/p>\n
Left-hander Blake Snell threw an inning of live batting practice at Dodger Stadium on Saturday before the Dodgers\u2019 game against the Rangers, taking a new step in his rehab progression.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very big,\u201d Snell said. \u201c\u2026To be able to face two good hitters and feel good \u2014 I\u2019ve got a lot of work to do still, but definitely a big step.\u201d<\/p>\n
Snell was delayed in his buildup entering spring training, after pitching through the postseason. He also dealt with shoulder issues last season, sidelined for about four months with what the Dodgers identified as inflammation in his left shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel great,\u201d Snell said. \u201cI\u2019ve done a lot of different things than I did last year when I was in this position. So I feel way better. I\u2019m just very excited about how I feel right now, where I\u2019m at, getting back to some normalcy again feels really good. I just can\u2019t wait to pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
He revisited old workouts, added Pilates to his routine and changed his diet.<\/p>\n
Snell, an avid gamer, has also kept up his Twitch livestream activity while on the injured list. He recently responded to a harsh comment from a critic about his injury while streaming, cursing as he challenged anyone to match his World Series contributions amid pain. The clip naturally circulated widely on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to game with my people, then trolls want to get in there and got something to say,\u201d he said and then broke into a smile. \u201cI should watch my language a little bit, but outside of that, it was pretty true. I\u2019m going to have fun, going to be myself. I\u2019ve got to watch my language though. If my mom sees that. \u2026 She probably will.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s bracing for her call if she does.<\/p>\n
Snell will continue to build up his workload in a simulated game environment, before eventually leaving on a minor-league rehab assignment. He didn\u2019t say how many live BP sessions he\u2019d need before that next step.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got to talk to the jefes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sitting in the dugout, Snell nodded up to the field where some of those bosses \u2014 president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, general manager Brandon Gomes and Roberts \u2014 stood talking.<\/p>\n
Roberts later speculated that Snell would build up to about three innings before pitching in games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just miss pitching, it\u2019s what I love,\u201d Snell said. \u201cSo to be able to do that again, I was very excited coming to the field today. Like, I finally get to throw and pitch and see where I\u2019m at, see if I\u2019m good, bad, kind of figure myself out.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Saturday, he just wanted to throw strikes, see how his stuff played, and get feedback from utility player Tommy Edman and outfielder Alex Call, who faced him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next one I want to be more crisp, want to hit locations more,\u201d he said. \u201cI only have so many starts left before I\u2019m back. So I really have to hone in and make sure these weeks are very important.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Injury updates<\/p>\n
Edman, who underwent ankle surgery this offseason, is still on track to be activated around late May, Roberts said Saturday. In addition to taking live batting practice, he\u2019s been running, but not quite at full speed, according to Roberts.<\/p>\n
Shortstop Mookie Betts (strained right oblique) played catch on the field before the game Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u00a92026 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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