Looking to bolster a rotation that had been decimated by injuries, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired the best available starter in Max Scherzer, who quickly endeared himself to the fanbase by defeating the Houston Astros in his team debut.
It marked the start of a historic stretch for Scherzer, who went on to allow only five earned runs over his first nine starts with the Dodgers.
However, the right-hander hit a bit of a rough patch of late, yielding a combined 10 runs over his final two starts of the regular season.
Despite his recent struggles, Scherzer is still on track to start the National League Wild Card Game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman remains confident in the future Hall of Famer and believes he will be extra motivated when he next takes the mound, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“Zero,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Friday. “A, I’d bet on the big-game nature and who he is. And B, I don’t know – I kind of like him getting punched a little bit going into that start,” Friedman said with a smile. “Not that he wouldn’t be as prepared and dialed in. But now I think there’s a little extra going into it that I think is a good thing.”
As Friedman noted, Scherzer doesn’t need much inspiration during his outings, but he likely feels like he has something to prove, and that usually spells trouble for the other team.
As it currently stands, Scherzer is slated to go up against longtime Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright in the one-game playoff, which will be exclusively broadcast by TBS on Wednesday, Oct. 6.
Roberts didn’t waiver with Scherzer
With Scherzer struggling in back-to-back starts and Walker Buehler rebounding from what had been a difficult September, it prompted some to question if the Dodgers would adjust their plan for whichever game comes after Sunday.
However, Roberts made it clear Scherzer is on track to face the Cardinals.
“I talk about betting on guys. We feel very good with Max taking the mound,” Roberts said. “No one knows Max better than Trea (Turner), so if he’s already angry, I guess that’s a good thing.”
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