No surprise here: Max Scherzer will have the ball in his hands when he begins the final season of his seven-year, $210 million contract with the Washington Nationals.
Scherzer will make his Nationals-record sixth opening day start April 1, facing the New York Mets in Washington. It’ll be a rematch of an exhibition mound matchup Sunday, when Scherzer allowed two homers and threw 90 pitches in five innings of a 6-2 loss to the Mets and starter Jacob deGrom in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“He’s the guy. He’s the guy that gets everything started for us,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said in explaining his decision to use Scherzer in Game 1 - which, of course, was the expected outcome.
“He competes. You know what we’re going to get from him,” Martinez said. “He loves opening day. So he’s a guy we want to follow opening day.”
It’s quite a way to get things going for Major League Baseball: three-time Cy Young Award winner Scherzer against two-time honoree deGrom.
As for the rest of his rotation, Martinez said he and new pitching coach Jim Hickey still need to figure out how to slot their other starters. There’s 2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg and lefties Jon Lester and Patrick Corbin; the fifth starter is expected to be Joe Ross, who opted out of last season because of coronavirus concerns.
On Sunday, Scherzer allowed six hits and four earned runs, with a solo shot by Michael Conforto in the fourth and a two-run homer by Francisco Lindor in the fifth. Another run scored on a wild pitch.
Scherzer wasn’t too concerned by the results, of course. He said he was working on things, including trying a slide-step.
“You’re trying to get a read on their swings, how they’re trying to swing the bat, and realize they’re probably going to make adjustments, too,” said Scherzer, whose last outing before the games matter will come Saturday in a “B” game against the Houston Astros. “Just go at it, get your work in and get out of there. I’m just trying to get my pitches in.”
He also got an at-bat in. The original lineup released by Washington before the game featured a designated hitter; that was revised to include Scherzer batting for himself.
DeGrom struck him out, part of his 4 2/3 scoreless innings with three hits and five Ks.
“I haven’t been in the box in so long - probably a year, year-and-a-half - and then the first pitch is 100 (mph),” Scherzer said, then added with a laugh: “So welcome to the big leagues.”
Nationals reliever Tanner Rainey made his spring debut after dealing with a muscle strain near his collarbone. After striking out the first batter he faced, Pete Alonso, Rainey went walk-walk-walk and was done for the day.
Rainey said he still needs to work through some issues with where his arm is when he lands on his front foot.
“Obviously, timing wasn’t there. Not making the pitches I wanted to,” he said. “Best thing I can take from (it) is (I’m) healthy, pain-free.”
DeGrom kept up his strong spring. Through 13 2/3 innings, he’s struck out 21 and has an 0.66 ERA. Edwin Diaz and Dellin Betances each worked an inning of relief, retiring the side in order with a strikeout. Michael Conforto and Francisco Lindor homered.
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