When Blake Snell was sent to Durham, it was with the idea that he would work on his command. He had been missing with his pitches, particularly with his fastball, leading to a 0-4 record with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.619 WHiP. In his 42 innings with the Tampa Bay Rays, Snell had issued 25 walks, as he was unable to throw strikes when needed.
Thus far, Snell’s results in Durham have been quite encouraging. He has allowed five runs on 12 hits and six walks in his 11.2 innings of work. The greatest sign of encouragement, however, has been his strikeout rate.