Rangers’ Scherzer Struggles Against Astros After Rushed Injury Return
Max Scherzer lasted only four innings in his first game since being shelved with a right shoulder injury in early September. The right-hander looked extremely rusty after the long layoff in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Globe Life Field.
In the 8-5 loss, Scherzer was pasted for the game’s first five runs on five hits; he tallied four strikeouts and a walk in four innings, throwing 63 pitches during his first start since straining the teres major muscle in his right shoulder on Sept. 9.
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Rangers manager Bruce Bochy agreed that the 39-year-old was rusty.
“[Scherzer] hadn’t pitched in a month,” Bochy said in his postgame press conference. “He didn’t have his good slider tonight. He left a couple up. Overall, though, I was really pleased with his stuff. It’s only going to get better with him. He felt fine and that’s the good news.”
The Astros came into the game down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series; now, the team has a chance to even it up in Game 4 on Wednesday night in Arlington, Tex. Luckily, Houston has excelled on the road this regular season, going 51-30. The team put up three more wins away from home during the postseason, two of them in a four-game victory over the Minnesota Twins in an AL Division Series. They are 7-1 at Globe Life this season.
The defending World Series champions are in the ALCS for the seventh postseason in a row, an unprecedented amount. The Rangers hadn’t been to the ALCS since 2011 and have never won the World Series, losing twice in 2010 and 2011.
“It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said about his team’s home-road splits. “Usually, you want to be .500 on the road and way over .500 at home. I asked the team in Spring Training to be the best road team. Maybe I should have asked them to be the best road and home team. They usually give me what I ask for.”
After Scherzer retired the side in order during the opening inning, the Astros then ripped him for four runs in the second, all of them scoring with two outs, one on a wild pitch. José Altuve homered to lead off the third to get the fifth run.
Was Scherzer ready after a number of bullpens and facing batting practice hitters?
“We had him ready to face hitters. We did all we could to get him ready for this,” Bochy said. “He was ready. You saw the stuff. He’s one of our guys. There’s no regret on that.”
The Rangers obtained Scherzer from the New York Mets at the trade deadline—one in the midst of a surprise flurry of moves as Mets owner Steve Cohen also dispatched veteran right-hander Justin Verlander back to the Astros as he gutted an underperforming team with the highest payroll in the Major Leagues.
Scherzer performed well for the Rangers, recording a 4-2 record and 3.20 ERA in eight starts before the injury. He was obtained to replace Jacob deGrom, who was lost early in the season after Tommy John ligament replacement surgery, and mostly to bolster the Rangers rotation if they made the postseason.
They did so on the last weekend of the regular season, but surrendered the AL West title on the final day when the Rangers lost at Seattle and the Astros won at Arizona to sweep a season-ending three-game set over the D-backs. Both teams finished 90-72, but Houston was awarded first place by virtue of winning the head-to-head battle between the teams during the regular season.
Before Wednesday night, the Rangers had won their first seven playoff games, sweeping Tampa Bay in a Wild Card Series, Baltimore in an ALDS, and Houston in the first two games of the ALCS.
Scherzer wasn’t even supposed to pitch in the playoffs, but he made quick progress and was rushed back.
“It comes down to execution,” Scherzer said during an interview in front of his locker after the game. “I know what I need to do.”
Two years ago, Scherzer pitched well during that regular season after he was traded at the deadline from Washington to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but flamed out in the playoffs. He was not available in the NLCS because of right arm fatigue after throwing only 4 1/3 innings in a Game 2 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Last year, after signing a three-year, $130 million free agent contract with the Mets, Scherzer was hapless in a Game 1 Wild Card loss at home to the San Diego Padres. Scherzer allowed all seven runs in a 7-1 loss and didn’t make it out of the fifth inning. Afterwards, there was speculation that Scherzer had been pitching through an injury. The Mets lost that series in three games at home.
Wednesday night for Scherzer was more of the same.
He’s on track to pitch Game 7 on Monday night at Minute Maid Park if the series goes that far, or in the World Series. So, there’s still time for redemption.
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