When the National League all-star team roster was first announced, and Max Scherzer was left off, he still appeared to have a good chance to make the trip to San Diego.
Scherzer’s ERA was down to 3.21 and his WHIP a tidy 0.97. Coming into Friday, he led the National League in strikeouts. Earlier this season, he pitched a 20-strikeout game.
New York Mets manager Terry Collins had seen Scherzer’s dominance in the past. In two starts this season against the Mets, Scherzer has a 1.32 ERA and a .111 batting average against. Those results came after he closed last season in New York with a 17-strikeout no-hitter, viewed as one of the best-pitched games in baseball history.
Friday afternoon, Collins, the manager of the National League all-star team, added Scherzer to the roster. Scherzer replaces teammate Stephen Strasburg, who will not pitch on Tuesday in San Diego, opting to rest instead.
Scherzer’s addition means the Nationals will have an organization-best (since returning to Washington in 2005) five players on the all-star team. Scherzer joins second baseman Daniel Murphy, catchers Wilson Ramos, right fielder Bryce Harper and Strasburg.
This is the fourth consecutive all-star appearance for Scherzer.
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Earlier in the day, Collins added from his team by naming Bartolo Colon as the replacement for San Francisco starter Madison Bumgarner, who, like Strasburg, will attend but not pitch in the game.
Only the league-leading Chicago Cubs will have more players on the NL roster. The Cubs have six players going to the game, including all four infield positions.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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