Gavin Lux's latest quote hints confidence is increasing ahead of Dodgers' playoff run

The story of the Dodgers' Wednesday night victory over the Padres was mostly about Shohei Ohtani, who grabbed the lead for LA twice on an RBI double, then a single to solidify the win in the bottom of the sixth. It sent the Padres back to a three-game trail behind the Dodgers for the top of the NL West, and it sent a message back to San Diego, who (obnoxiously) celebrated their clinching of a postseason berth in the Dodgers' visiting clubhouse and proceeded to take pictures on the field at Dodger Stadium.

Ohtani was the big story, but a relatively unsung standout was Gavin Lux, who tied the game ahead of Ohtani's first RBI in the bottom of the fourth. We've ragged on Lux a lot for his struggles through most of the season, blaming his defensive shortcomings for creating the entire "Mookie Betts at shortstop" debacle, but he really got his act together in July and August.

September has been a different story, and Lux entered Wednesday's game with a .163 average this month, no homers, just one extra-base hit, and only three RBI.

But Dave Roberts didn't want to bench Lux completely — after all, patience through months of bad hitting did eventually pay off for two great months — and it paid off again when he tied the game on Wednesday. And Lux's take on the crucial single indicated that he's spent his summer working on a mentality shift.

Dave Roberts' faith in Gavin Lux was rewarded with a clutch RBI on Wednesday against Padres

Lux still isn't hitting lefties very well overall (.156 with a .402 OPS), so he hasn't quite earned a full-time role with Kiké Hernández and Chris Taylor also representing defensive options for second base. His hit on Wednesday came off of righty Dylan Cease. His numbers this month still aren't great, even with the clutch single, but through that contest, he was batting .267 with a .717 since the Dodgers' last game in Miami, so things are trending upward.

We'll hold off on condemning Lux fully again, but he might be fighting to hold onto his roster spot next season if he can't turn into a serious postseason contributor. After all, he still has minor-league options, and the Dodgers have some wiggle room defensively with Tommy Edman's versatility.

However, it does look like things might be on the upswing for Lux. Although Roberts' faith in him has been absolutely maddening at times, it worked out eventually, but he'll still need to solidify that trust and prove that he can live up to his old top prospect hype.