Max Scherzer expressed confidence the arm fatigue that cut his start short in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series would not be an issue moving forward, but the future Hall of Famer was unable to take the mound for his next turn — even on an extra day of rest.
It’s fallout from Scherzer being used to close out the San Francisco Giants in Game 5 of the NL Division Series, which prevented him from making a scheduled start in the opener against the Atlanta Braves.
Despite believing a start in Game 2 would have him in position for a full outing, Scherzer could not even complete five innings.
So the shorthanded Dodgers are pressed up against the wall even more as Walker Buehler starts on short rest for a second time this postseason. The right-hander had never done so in his career before this year.
If the Dodgers manage to get the NLCS to a Game 7, Scherzer believes he would be available to start, according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times:
Max Scherzer said “my arm has been locked up the past couple days … I got to day four (after the start) and it felt like day one.”
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) October 23, 2021
Max Scherzer said he feels as if he turned a corner today and could start Game 7 tomorrow.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) October 23, 2021
“This isn’t a true injury. It’s just muscle fatigue.”
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) October 23, 2021
However, Scherzer acknowledged how much length he would be able to provide the Dodgers on Sunday is unclear, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
#Dodgers Max Scherzer said he feels confident he can pitch if there’s a Game 7. “I just don’t know where my line will be … how deep I can go.”
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) October 23, 2021
The Dodgers deciding to push Buehler up a day rather than opt for a bullpen game adds more credence to Scherzer’s optimism of making some form of a start. It would amount to one week between outings after pitching four times in a span of 12 days.
Of his three postseason starts, Scherzer has completed more than 4.1 innings just once. That came on normal rest against the Giants, when he had 10 strikeouts and allowed one run over seven innings, but the Dodgers suffered a 1-0 loss.
What if Scherzer can’t start?
If the Dodgers force a Game 7 and the 37-year-old is unable to take the mound, the team would likely need to lean on what’s been a stout bullpen.
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