Snell couldn't make it out of the first inning in an exhibition against the University of South Florida on Tuesday, throwing just 15 of 29 pitches for strikes, Eduardo A. Encina and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times report. "Blake couldn't quite find consistency with his delivery for whatever reason,'' manager Kevin Cash said. "Looked like he was trying to adjust on the fly and it just wasn't working. But no concern whatsoever.''
The Cy Young award winner came up surprisingly small against inferior competition, allowing two runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batsman. The rough outing naturally left the young left-hander, who's made improved control a priority this spring, considerably frustrated. Snell conceded to not having approached the start with the same intensity he would have against a major-league squad, and his inability to locate his fastball was especially disconcerting. The young southpaw did come away pleased with the performance of his breaking pitches, however, and will look to bounce back in his next spring outing, which should come towards the end of the week or over the weekend.