Los Angeles Dodgers: Who will deliver the big hit in game 162?

The Los Angeles Dodgers are entering the most important game 162 that the team has played in quite some time with the NL West at stake.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have done exactly what the team needed to do in San Francisco. Los Angeles has won the first two games of the series and with the Colorado Rockies finally losing to the Washington Nationals, the two teams enter the final day of the season tied.

A Dodgers win and Rockies loss would give LA sole possession of first place and the team would go on to face the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. If it it the other way around then the Dodgers will go play either the Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card game.

If both teams yield the same result on Sunday, the two sides will square off in game 163 with the NL West on the line at Dodger Stadium. The winner will go the NLDS against the Braves, the loser will play the Cubs or Brewers in the Wild Card game.

Guess you can say this is a huge game for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

All season we have been guessing who would get a base hit in all of the Dodgers’ 162 games. The series will not extend to the postseason, making today our last edition of our 2018 Los Angeles Dodgers Beat the Streak series.

For the last time this year: here is who we think will get the big base hit that hopefully makes the Dodgers NL West Champions for the sixth straight year.

Sarah’s pick – Current streak 6: Justin Turner

Alright Dodger fans, this is it. The Dodgers charge into today’s matchup with the Giants in a tie for the division with Colorado. Whoever wins today wins the division; if both the Rockies and the Dodgers win, they’ll play a Game 163 in LA.

That said, the Dodgers want the division, and they want home field advantage against the Braves. The Braves and the Dodgers are currently both 90-71. Should they end the season with the same record going into a series against each other, the Dodgers would have home field advantage, as they have the better head-to-head record this season (5-2).

So, now that I’ve given you the back story, my pick for today’s finale in San Francisco is Justin Turner. We’ve all seen Turner be great for the Dodgers this season, including bringing them back from a rough start of the season after returning from the DL in May.

Turner, when healthy, is not only the best hitter on the Dodgers, but one of the best hitters in baseball. The Dodgers need every bit of offense they can get in today’s pivotal game, and a strong performance from Rich Hill could alter the Dodgers season for the better.

So, who’s ready for Dodger baseball?

Jason’s pick – Current streak 3 – Enrique Hernandez

Enrique Hernandez was my Beat the Streak pick for Friday as well against Madison Bumgarner. That worked out nicely as Hernandez was the perfect lead-off man that night; three base hits in four appearances with two runs scored.

Today, I again am going with Hernandez, who has transitioned from a left-handed specialist and super utility to an everyday player. He got the starting nod on Saturday, despite their being a left-handed starter, and will likely start today against the southpaw.

Hernandez has been really good recently and has a knack to come up in big games. While I do not expect Hernandez to repeat his NLCS magic from a year ago, I do expect him to come up with some big base hits that set the tempo for the Dodgers’ offense.