Blue Jays Pitcher Max Scherzer Points Finger of Blame After Loss To Orioles
In this story:
After losing two out of three to the Athletics in what was a tough blow for the Toronto Blue Jays' playoff hopes earlier this week, they returned home on Friday to open a series with the Baltimore Orioles and Chris Bassitt.
A game behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final American League wild-card spot, Toronto needed to take advantage of being at home behind veteran right-hander Max Scherzer, who has been in plenty of late-season games in the playoff race in his career.
However, Friday night, Scherzer was outdueled by his former teammate, Bassitt, in a 7-4 Blue Jays loss that dropped them two games behind the Guardians, who beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-2, on Friday night on the road. After the game, Scherzer accepted blame in what was a big start for Toronto.
Max Scherzer Takes Blame for Loss To Orioles
Things started rough for Scherzer and didn't get better as his outing went along. He allowed a home run to Dylan Beavers to lead off the game and then was tagged for five runs in the second inning, putting his club in a 6-0 hole just two innings into the game.
Heston Kjerstad had an RBI single in the second inning, Colton Cowser had a two-run double and Beavers followed with a two-run single for a 6-0 lead. All of that started with a two-strike pitch to Gunnar Henderson that Scherzer was not able to execute.
“I’m accountable for my mistakes,” Scherzer said, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. “In that situation, the two-strike pitch to Gunnar (Henderson), I felt I could have made a better pitch. I got hit on that, but from then on, I felt like I executed. I wasn’t leaving pitches in the heart of the plate. That’s where I have to tip my cap to them. They got base hits on pitches I put in locations I’m comfortable with. It’s frustrating. That’s baseball, I’m not going to cry about it.”
That sounds like a veteran who is taking the blame for his outing. Scherzer went five innings, scattering seven hits and allowing six earned runs, but saw his ERA rise to 6.38. That puts more pressure on right-hander Spencer Miles, who is getting the spot start on Saturday against Baltimore, which is going to be an all-hands-on-deck bullpen game.
Manager John Schneider needed a better and longer outing from Scherzer to open the series ahead of a bullpen game, their second in three games. With 14 games remaining in the regular season and two games out of the final AL wild-card spot, Friday night's loss was a less-than-ideal way to begin a pivotal homestand. In the end, Scherzer took responsibility for his outing as a veteran does.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.