Max Scherzer takes on the rookie Ryan Weathers at Chavez Ravine

The Los Angeles Dodgers are playing the now-eliminated San Diego Padres, actually playing to not fall below .500 for the season. That very same San Diego team that was in line and should’ve challenged the Dodgers for the National League West crown, with or without the sudden emergence of the San Francisco Giants.

The middle game of the series will have Max Scherzer on the mound for what’s likely his last regular season start with the Dodgers unless the team gets into a Game 163 scenario in which case we could see him again at San Francisco in the beginning of next week. The San Diego Padres will counter with rookie left-hander Ryan Weathers.

Scherzer will make his third start against the Padres as a Dodger, already. After leaving the Nationals with a bad taste in his mouth from a trip to San Diego that saw the three-time Cy Young winner give up seven earned runs over 3⅔ Innings including a grand slam to the opposing pitcher, Scherzer has been nothing short of extraordinary against the Friars with 13⅔ scoreless frames in a couple of starts, including a near-perfect game on September 12.

Weathers will take the mound as the starter versus the Dodgers for the third time in 2021, but the first time since April. During that month he pitched 9⅓ innings, allowing no earned runs and merely a couple of singles.

The Dodgers are still alive but a couple of losses against Colorado and Arizona prevented this race from being closer in the final week. The Padres could be the deciding factor in this race for the west, as they play a six-game road trip in Los Angeles and San Francisco. A team that was thought of as the big challenger for that NL crown now fights for a winning record in 2021.

Game info

Teams: Dodgers vs. Padres

Location: Dodger Stadium

Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV: SportsNet LA, ESPN (out of market)