If you were to ask most Dodger fans who has brought the biggest spark to the team this season, chances are the unanimous favorite would be Kiké Hernandez. But if you were to ask them who has come up with some of the most clutch hits this season, the hands down winner would be Justin Turner.

With one game remaining in the regular season, Turner owns a .294 batting average, a .370 on-base percentage, a .491 slugging percentage for an excellent .861 OPS. He has hit 16 home runs, 26 doubles, one triple and has driven in 60 runs – second most on the team behind only Adrian Gonzalez’s 90 RBIs. And who knows how much better he would have been had he not spent 18 days on the disabled list for a very serious MRSA (staph) infection.

But Turner’s season hasn’t been without its struggles – especially immediately after returning from the disabled list on August 13. Things got so bad that between August 13 and September 11, that the popular redhead could only muster 15 for 88 at the plate for a dismal .170 batting average.

But then something happened, something that was inevitable and something that couldn’t happen at a better time – Justin Turner got healthy and is once again tearing it up at the plate. In fact, since September 12, the 30-year-old Long Beach, CA native is 16 for 43 (.372) with a home run, three doubles and eight RBI’s.

Turner’s home run came in the bottom of the first inning of Saturday night’s exciting 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres off of left-hander Robbie Erlin and traveled an estimated 415 feet to straightaway center field to give the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead. They picked up a second run in the bottom of the fourth inning on an Adrian Gonzalez double play which allowed Howie Kendrick to score from third base.

Turner’s solo home run set the stage for the Dodgers eventual 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday night. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The Padres countered in the top half of the fifth inning on a solo home run by catcher Austin Hedges off of Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke, who was absolutely brilliant (again). Greinke allowed only that one run on four hits while walking one and striking out eight in his eight innings of work to collect his 19th win of the season and lower his ERA to 1.66 – best in the major leagues and the lowest since Greg Maddux posted a 1.63 ERA in 1995.

This marks the second time that Greinke has won an ERA title. He also won it in 2009 while with the Kansas City Royals. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

But winning his second career ERA title wasn’t all that the 31-year-old Orlando, FL native accomplished on Saturday night. He also reached the 200-strikeout mark (exactly) for the second time in as many years and the fifth time in his 12-year MLB career. But just like his left-handed teammate Clayton Kershaw, personal milestones mean little to Greinke.

“This year I didn’t pay attention to strikeouts at all really, but in years past it would be a big deal,” Greinke said after the game. “I didn’t really pay attention to it this year … just was trying to get outs. That’s all I really paid attention to I guess.”

With Saturday night’s win and with the New York Mets dropping a doubleheader to the Washington Nationals at Citi Field (including a no-hitter in the second game by Nats right-hander Max Scherzer), the Dodgers locked up home field advantage for the National League Division Series against those same Mets beginning on Friday, October 9 at Dodger Stadium. And how does Greinke feel about having home field advantage?

“I think it definitely helps. It’s not like a deciding factor,” Greinke said. “I don’t know if [it’s like the] NFL or NBA where it’s a huge huge deal but it definitely helps.”

In all likelihood Greinke will start Game-2 of the NLDS next Saturday and will probably be opposed by Matt Harvey, who took the loss in Scherzer’s no-hitter. And while the Dodgers haven’t officially announced who will start Game-1, there is little doubt that it will be Kershaw. The Mets have already announced that right-hander Jacob deGrom will be their starter in the series opener.

But regardless of who gets the nod for the Dodgers in the NLDS opener, you can bet that Justin Turner will be at the hot corner for the Dodgers when the first pitch is thrown next Friday evening – and that’s a very good thing.