Dodgers: What Kind of Impact Can Max Scherzer Have in LA?
Max Scherzer made his first appearance in Dodger blue and was spotted getting to know his teammates in LA’s dugout over the weekend. The 3-time Cy Young Award winner will make his first scheduled start with his new team on Wednesday against the Houston Astros.
We discuss how big of an impact Max Scherzer will have for the Dodgers and how dominant he is even at his advanced age. Plus, Mad Max tosses his first bullpen session in blue!
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Over his storied 14-year career, Scherzer has earned the label of a big game pitcher and was often turned to as a game one starter for the Nationals and Tigers before then. While he has only one World Series championship to show for it, Max shows up when it counts.
However, in LA, he’s not looked at as that game one ace. Without a doubt, you’re looking at the best number 2 or 3 starting pitcher in October. So, really, his biggest impact is that he can settle in to a postseason series and look to be a stopper or series finisher if need be. A role like that could loom large late into Fall.
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Au Contraire. One of the problems of the Wild Card era is that teams are faced with having to bring in their best possible pitcher for a one-game playoff. Then if they win, they have burned that arm for the first two or three games of the following playoff series. If the Dodgers were in the wild card game, then they could bring in either Scherzer or Buehler to get them into the divisional round and use the other pitcher to then start game one. It is a good position to be in. Yes, I realize we also have Kershaw and he’s not chopped liver. But given his current tendency to give up the long ball, I would rather not take the chance of him getting behind early in the Wild Card game, where if the other team’s pitcher is on, the Dodgers will having trouble clawing back into the game. Of course, part of the hope now is that Scherzer can help the Dodgers get back into first place in the next two months and avoid the wild card game altogether.