LOS ANGELES — Max Scherzer has a pretty straightforward approach to pitching in a playoff race.
“Look – every single time out I’ve got to win. There’s no secret to that,” he said. “We’re in the thick of a pennant race, especially a division race with the Giants. I mean, you want to win. You want to win the division. You don’t want to have to go to the wild card. But if you do, I’ve also been a part of a team that has gone through the wild card game and found a way to win the World Series.”
If his job is to win “every single time out,” Scherzer has performed perfectly as a Dodger. The Dodgers have won each of his eight starts for them and Scherzer was named the National League Player of the Week for last week when all he did was pitch 16 scoreless innings over two starts with 22 strikeouts and no walks. He also pitched his third career immaculate inning, took a perfect game into the eighth inning Sunday against the San Diego Padres and reached 3,000 career strikeouts.
In his eight starts with the Dodgers, Scherzer has an 0.88 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 72 strikeouts and only 29 hits allowed in 51 innings. If that’s being “in the zone,” Scherzer isn’t ready to pronounce it for himself.
“Yes and no – because as much as you can sit there and say when you’re getting results and balls are being hit at people that you’re on some type of roll and the results are going your way, I’ve been pitching long enough to know that those can snap on a dime and you can not get results,” he said Monday. “You could be doing the exact same thing and all of a sudden, the league has figured you out and then they beat you down.
“That’s where, for me, I really don’t try to get caught up in necessarily what the results are. I’m more focused on the process, what my mechanics are, how I’m delivering the ball, how I’m sequencing guys and just to see the type of swings that guys are getting off in certain situations. I’m always trying to critique myself and find a way to get better every single time no matter what the results are whether they’re good or bad.”
POLLOCK PLAN
Injured outfielder AJ Pollock has been progressing in his recovery from a hamstring injury suffered on Sept. 4 and could be ready to go on a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment within the next week.
“He’s been increasing activity each day,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts who hit fungoes to Pollock in left field as part of his workout Monday. “We haven’t had any setbacks which is fantastic. He’s not going to go with us to Cincinnati (for the series this weekend). He’ll stay back. The hope is to get him in some games here in the next four or five days. We’ll see where it goes from there.”
PITCHING PLANS
The Dodgers have lined up Walker Buehler, Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw to start the three-game series in Cincinnati this weekend. The Dodgers play their potential wild-card game opponents – the Reds or Padres – in a two-week span, but Roberts said they will not alter the starting rotation to avoid giving them a recent look at a potential wild-card game starter.
“That’s a fair question – but no,” Roberts said. “We’re going to keep guys in their same slots and expect to win every game remaining on the schedule.”
ALSO
Kershaw was activated from the 60-day injured list to start Monday’s game. In order to clear a roster spot, the Dodgers designated outfielder Steven Souza Jr. for assignment. Souza was 5 for 33 (.152) in 17 games with the Dodgers this season.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks (RHP Luke Weaver, 3-4, 4.24 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Tony Gonsolin, 2-1, 2.79 ERA), Tuesday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM
