The Washington Nationals pulled starter Max Scherzer from the mound after just one inning in Wednesday’s game against the New York Mets, replacing the 36-year-old ace with Erick Fedde.
The team has not said if Scherzer has an injury, but there were troubling signs for Scherzer during his inning. Scherzer’s velocity on his fastball was hovering between 92 and 94 miles per hour — down from the 96.5 he usually tops.
Scherzer also struggled to find the strike zone and finished the first with 27 pitches. Of that 27, Scherzer threw 14 balls, walking one batter. He gave up one run as Brandon Nimmo scored from third when Dominic Smith popped out to left field.
After escaping the inning, Fedde started warming up in the bullpen and an athletic trainer visited with Scherzer in the dugout.
The Athletic reported the Nationals had Fedde warming up before the game, an indication that Scherzer might have been dealing with something.
This was Scherzer’s third start of the season. He was coming off an extra period of rest after the Nationals had the weekend off following the postponement of their series against the Marlins. He started the season strong, striking out 21 in two starts and posted a 2.84 ERA.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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