Max Scherzer continues to be plagued by neck issues.
The Washington Nationals ace was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday against the San Diego Padres after experiencing a neck problem. Matt Grace got the nod in Scherzer’s place.
Nats manager Dusty Baker could tell something was amiss when Scherzer was at Petco Park early.
Dusty said Scherzer is dealing with same neck problem but other side. Didn't know yet what the next step is.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) August 19, 2017
Dusty said he knew something was up when Scherzer was at the ballpark when he got here. Usually doesn't arrive that early on start days.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) August 19, 2017
Scherzer left his start on Aug. 1 after one inning of work. He had hit his first career home run in that game and then was unable to continue pitching because of his neck. He still made his next two starts, pitching nearly identical lines of five hits and two runs allowed over seven innings. But the neck issue resurfaced Friday.
MASN’s Dan Kolko says Scherzer will undergo testing to see if anything can be found concerning his neck. The Nats would obviously want to have some answers before the playoffs roll around.
Scherzer is 12-5 with a 2.25 ERA this season.
