In the age of sports science, what used to be conventional wisdom has been turned upside down.

The NFL wants to eliminate two pre-season games as teams are resting starters for most or all of the four games. The same could be said for MLB spring training. What used to be filled with major leaguers has become triple-A players wearing professional logos for February and March.

However, Blake Snell wants to sound the alarm for the importance of practice.

The former Cy Young did not receive a proper ramp-up going into the 2024 season after signing a two-year $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants on March 27, the first week of the new baseball season. After only four innings on Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies while allowing a home run, Snell opened up to the media about his lack of sharpness.

“It’s not easy,” he said. “I didn’t face a big league hitter until I pitched my first game in the big leagues this year. It’s tough. You just have nothing to go off of. You’re kind of like let’s see what we got.”

He looks nothing like the starter who went 180 innings last year with a 2.25 ERA with the San Diego Padres. The lefty is winless to start the year, with a record of 0-3 after five appearances. He allowed 15 runs in three starts during April before landing on the IL with an adductor strain. He went just 3 1/3 innings in his first time on the mound against Pittsburgh before facing the Phillies a week later.

The Giants are doing all they can to stay afloat while waiting for their ace to round into form. The Bay Area ballclub is 7-3 over their last ten, but only 29-28. Snell’s squad sits 6.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers as the calendar flips over to June but is currently a wildcard spot by 0.5 games.

The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 in Game 3 of the NLDS Wednesday night, completing a three-game sweep over their NL West rivals. The Dodgers were heavily favored in the series and were widely considered World Series contenders, but the team appeared overmatched by Arizona in all three games.

“I think it’s an understatement to say we were counted out, especially in this series, for sure,” Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen told reporters Wednesday. “And obviously, it’s no secret we’ve had our battles with them, our struggles. But yeah, this one tastes a little bit sweeter, for sure. Especially since I heard some comments that this is just gonna be a home game for them.”

After two victories on the road to begin the series, the Diamondbacks completed their sweep Wednesday at Chase Field in Phoenix in front of a sold-out crowd of 48,159. Arizona scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning, knocking Dodgers starter Lance Lynn out of the game. The team didn’t score again, but the Diamondbacks’ bullpen allowed just two runs in nearly six innings of work and propelled the team to a two-run win.

Solid pitching and timely hitting were key for Arizona all series, as the team never trailed in any of the three games. In Game 1, Diamondbacks hitters teed off against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, scoring six runs in the first and knocking him out of the game. They tacked one another three in the second and cruised to an 11-2 victory.

The Diamondbacks jumped on the Dodgers again in Game 2, scoring three runs in the top of the first. Gallen held us his end on the mound, allowing just two runs to Los Angeles in 5.2 innings and leading the team to its first of two 4-2 wins in the series.

With the Dodgers now out of the way, the sixth-seeded Diamondbacks still have a long way to go. They will likely be underdogs in the NLCS, and if they advance to the World Series, they will face either the Texas Rangers or Houston Astros, two teams with highly powerful offenses and exceptional pitching.

Arizona’s NLCS opponent is the last of the final four teams to be determined, as the Phillies currently hold a 2-1 series lead over the Braves in their NLDS matchup. If Philadelphia defeats Atlanta for the second straight year, the NLCS will be played between the fourth- and sixth-seeded teams in the bracket. Only one underdog can advance from there.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, who went 63-93 this season and finished in fourth place in the National League West, fired both manager Chip Hale and general manager Dave Stewart Monday afternoon.

Diamondbacks Fire GM Dave Stewart, Manager Chip Hale After 93-Loss Season

Both were in their second year with the team.

Stewart, 59, was hired in late September 2014 to replace Kevin Towers as GM. A few weeks later, Stewart named Hale, 51, as the manager. The Diamondbacks went 148-176 under Hale.

Stewart was hired by the franchise’s chief baseball officer, Tony La Russa, who has not been fired.

“We are very grateful to Dave and Chip who are widely respected throughout the game of baseball.,” said Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall in a statement. “Ultimately, the results have not been what we had hoped and while that responsibility is shared by all of us, we have decided that a change is necessary. We are still discussing what the appropriate role for Tony La Russa will be moving forward.”

Arizona signed free agent ace pitcher Zack Greinke for $206.5 million before the 2016 season– his $34.4 million per year salary the largest in MLB– and traded for Atlanta Braves starter Shelby Miller, an All-Star. However, hopes for the Dbacks were soon dashed, as both pitchers woefully underperformed this season, Miller even becoming one of the worst in the league.

The Diamondbacks won the World Series in 2001 and had a brief comeback ten years later, winning the NL West. Nevertheless, Arizona has steadily declined since then, posting five consecutive non-winning seasons.

The franchise will now be searching for its fifth GM and fifth manager since 2010.

A four-time 20-game winner as a player, Stewart had previously worked in the front office for Oakland, San Diego and Toronto before landing his first general manager job.

Hale played seven major league seasons with the Minnesota Twins and the Los Angeles Dodgers before starting his coaching career. He worked as Bob Melvin’s bench coach for three seasons before being hired as a major league manager for the first time with Arizona. He previously worked nine seasons in the Diamondbacks organization and spent two seasons with the New York Mets.

Arizona’s pitching staff struggled as a whole, finishing with a league-worst 5.11 ERA.

The Diamondbacks were also criticized for the deal that brought in Miller, which sent outfielder Ender Inciarte and shortstop Dansby Swanson, Arizona’s top draft pick in 2015, to Atlanta. In his first seasons with Arizona, Miller struggled, going 3-12 with a 6.15 ERA.

PHOENIX, AZ – APRIL 06: General manager Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale #3 of the Arizona Diamondbacks talk on the field before the Opening Day MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field on April 6, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)