Dodgers: 3 red-hot LAD players who will make or break NL West chase

With too much focus on the negative lately, considering the San Francisco Giants have proven tougher to catch than a greased-up Pat Burrell, it’s time to pivot to positivity.

The Dodgers have been steaming hot, too, and remain within striking distance if San Fran slips up during the season’s final stretch.

If the orange-and-black do falter against the Padres, Rockies, and Diamondbacks (come on) even somewhat, you can bet that any chance Los Angeles has of swapping places will fall on the shoulders of these three men.

Luckily, they’ve all been carrying the team for weeks.

Though it’s certainly seemed like they could, theoretically, win every day for months on end, the Giants dropped a pair to the Pads and a single game to the Braves in the past week alone, which is borderline cause for celebration in these parts. Meanwhile, the Dodgers dismantled the Reds in the final two games of that set to essentially lock in a showdown with the St. Louis Cardinals for whichever team comes out on bottom here.

That’s … spooky, considering the Cards never lose anymore.

These three Dodgers stars will determine whether or not Los Angeles can avoid that fate.

3 red-hot Dodgers who can change NL West race.

3. Max Scherzer

Come ON! The big man! Obviously!

Since joining the Dodgers, Max Scherzer is a pathetic 7-0 with an 0.78 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 58 innings. If he could get on track just a little bit, LA could probably close the gap. Unfortunately, it looks like we’re stuck with this late-career version of the ex-Nationals ace.

Annoying, but it is what it is.

In all earnestness, we knew what we were getting when Scherzer switched coasts: a bulldog with the potential to take over any game he started, as well as the ultimate competitor. I don’t think we knew we were getting someone who’d historically peak and post the most dominant stretch of his career at age 37.

An expensive short-term deal beckons beyond 2021, but for now, it seems the Dodgers will get two more starts out of Scherzer (at Colorado on Thursday, vs San Diego on Wednesday), at which point he’ll be lined up for either Game 1 or the Wild Card showdown with Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals — pretty exciting for a Mizzou boy.

If Los Angeles is going to push past San Francisco, they’ll need Scherzer to win both of those starts handily, while giving the bullpen a rest. Not too much to ask, right?

2. Will Smith

You know how Yankees fans always say it’s impossible to find a catcher better than Gary Sánchez, even when Sánchez underwhelms?

The Dodgers are stone-cold giggling at that notion.

They have one in the minors in Diego Cartaya. They had one in the high minors in Keibert Ruiz. And, installed as their starter, they have Will Smith, who’s en route to becoming the gold standard at the position, and has been playing some of his best baseball lately.

Smith’s second half has featured a remarkable 1.053 OPS (!!!), along with 15 homers and 40 RBI. In the past 28 days alone, the catcher (remember, this is a catcher) has been good for a .339 average, seven bombs, and a 1.182 OPS in 18 games started.

Of all the teams praying for a universal DH to enter the National League next season, the Dodgers are definitely among the forgotten — after all, do they really need more offense? I don’t know. You tell me. Did they need Scherzer and Trea Turner at the deadline? The answer turned out to be yes.

On days when Austin Barnes starts to give Smith a breather, having his elite bat available regardless could be a game-changer. He’ll have to play more often than not down the stretch to give the Dodgers a fighting chance, and he’s certainly been delivering for the better part of a month now at the level of one of the game’s elite sluggers.