Dodger Bats Come Alive And Save Max Scherzer's Rough Final Start
The Dodgers were staring down a 9-5 score with nobody out in the 7th when Dave Roberts had to yank reliever Brusdar Graterol, and Dodger fans were audibly upset. The Padres had scored eight unanswered runs, and the Dodgers were still trailing the Giants in the division by two games with only a few left.
At this point, the night was looking grim for the Dodgers. Max Scherzer got roughed up for five earned runs across 5.1 innings of work and struck out just four. Scherzer also got lit up for 11 hits, including two home runs. It is likely the Dodgers will be facing off against the Cardinals in the wild card game, and with Scherzer slated to be the starter for that game, this only added to the anxiety felt by Dodger fans, and probably the Dodgers organization.
Scherzer has now been hit with 10 earned runs across 10.1 innings of work. One of those starts was on the moon, er Colorado, but two consecutive rough outings could certainly be a sign of fatigue.
The Dodgers then rattled off six unanswered runs, all with homers, including back-to-back home runs by Max Muncy and A.J. Pollock in the eighth inning. Mookie Betts hit a solo shot in the seventh inning, and Cody Bellinger, who has had a miserable season, added another in the eighth. Corey Seager then blasted a two-run homer a few batters later, to give the Dodgers the 11-9 lead. It was a comeback reminiscent of the "Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back" almost 15 years ago in September of 2006.
Skipper Dave Roberts discussed Scherzer's start and the comeback by the Dodgers after the game.
"He just didn’t have good command. At times the curveball was good. The cutter and changeup just weren’t commanded. He’s picked us up many times over. We picked him up."
The comeback kept the Dodgers two games back of San Francisco, who managed to squeak out another victory, 1-0 against the last place Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers victory might have come with concern over Max Scherzer's performance, but Scherzer has proven time and time again to be a big game performer. More than anything, the Dodger offense finally came alive, something that had been mostly missing over the course of the past few weeks. If the pitching struggles, a locked in Dodger offense is always capable of picking up the slack.
