Los Angeles' pitching nightmare almost struck again. Dodgers ace Blake Snell was pulled after just one inning Wednesday night against the Cincinnati Reds, his outing cut to a mere 19 pitches after he felt his left groin "grab" during his pregame bullpen session. The Dodgers went on to lose 6-2, missing a chance to clinch the NL West on the spot.

Snell told reporters he knew something was off before he even threw a warmup pitch, and rather than gamble on making it through the outing, he shut it down. "I strained it 4 different times… for me to stop, that's a first," Snell said after the game. "That was definitely the right move."

A Comeback Season Suddenly In Doubt

The timing could not be worse. Snell has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball since returning from an earlier injured-list stint, posting a 1.86 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 52 strikeouts against just 16 walks over 38 2/3 innings this season, according to SI's Dodgers coverage. He'd become the steadying presence in a rotation that, alongside Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, was supposed to carry Los Angeles through October while Shohei Ohtani remains sidelined.

Groin injuries are an old, unwelcome friend for the left-hander, who has battled similar strains in 2021, 2022 and 2024 — each time missing significant time. That history is exactly why the Dodgers are treading carefully now, even as Snell insists this one felt less severe than those previous scares.

"I like where his head is at, but he just can't afford any more setbacks," manager Dave Roberts said of Snell after the loss.

The stakes stretch well beyond one start. At 92-60, the Dodgers trail the Milwaukee Brewers by three games in the race for the National League's No. 1 seed with roughly ten games left on the schedule. Every healthy inning from Snell matters, both for the standings and for a rotation that needs him sharp — not compromised — once the postseason begins.

For now, the Dodgers are treating Snell day-to-day. He's expected to be re-evaluated over the coming days, with the club weighing whether to give him one more tune-up start before the regular season wraps or shut him down early to safeguard his health for October. Snell himself wouldn't commit either way, saying only that he's optimistic about pitching again down the stretch. Los Angeles, meanwhile, will lean on its other arms as it tries to close the gap on Milwaukee — and prays its ace's groin holds up when it matters most.