Clayton Kershaw moved back into the lead in NL Cy Young Tracker points with his win over the Giants on Sunday. Kershaw leads the majors in wins and ERA, while Johnny Cueto is tied for second in wins and second in the NL in ERA, but accomplished his ERA over many more innings. Lately the two have traded places in the Tracker points race whenever they pitch. So the last one to take the mound may be the leader in points at the end of the season.

Right now, that looks like it will Cueto. Kershaw’s position in the rotation will have him start against the Cubs, then the last game against the Giants. That puts him in a position to be well rested for the opening of the NLDS, or to go on normal rest if the Dodgers end up in a playoff game against the Giants for the division title.

Cueto pitches Tuesday, and the Reds have two off days in the next week. So Cueto could pitch Sunday, and then take part in the series against the Pirates, which may have playoff implications for Pittsburgh. If that’s the case, the Reds should want to throw their ace in the series. If Cueto also needs one more win for 20, I have no doubt the Reds start him in that last series.

Cueto could wind up about 45 innings ahead of Kershaw with the same number of wins. There’s a lot that can go wrong for a pitcher in 45 innings, and Kershaw won’t get the chance to have those extra inning wear him down. My personal opinion is that Kershaw is so good, and the Dodgers are winning, so Kershaw wins the award hands down. If Cueto finishes ahead in points, or wins, or the ERA gap narrows, it will be interesting to see how much support Johnny gets.