Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider reacted to Max Scherzer’s first start since his return from the IL.
Scherzer was put on the IL on April 27, retroactive to April 25, due to right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. After rehabbing in the minor leagues, the Blue Jays officially activated Scherzer on Wednesday for their rubber match against the Philadelphia Phillies at Rogers Centre.
The results were mixed, but mostly bad.
The good: Scherzer racked up his 3,500th career strikeout, becoming the 11th MLB pitcher to reach that mark.
The bad: Scherzer allowed 5 ER in 3.1 IP, including 2 HR and 3 BB, to elevate his season ERA to an appalling 10.23 mark. His season record dropped to 1-4.
The Blue Jays lost the game 7-4 to the Phillies, losing the series 2-1, and dropping to 33-36 on the year overall.
John Schneider Comments on Max Scherzer’s Performance
Following another poor outing from Scherzer, there were calls from fans all over social media to release him from the team, since the soon-to-be-42-year-old pitcher doesn’t seem to have it anymore.
However, despite his terrible numbers this season, Schneider is not ready to give up on the future Hall of Famer just yet.
“John Schneider wants to avoid ‘knee-jerk reactions’ after Max Scherzerâs first start back: ‘You want to try to see what it looks like when he gets some consistent work and evaluate it then. I think heâs earned that,’” Schneider told Blue Jays reporters, including Keegan Matheson.
Given Scherzer’s reputation as one of the most respected pitchers in the league right now, not to mention of all time given his three Cy Young awards, it’s not hugely surprising that Schneider is sticking by his man despite getting hit hard yet again.
But as the losses continue to mount for the Blue Jays, the calls from fans for the team to make changes won’t stop, especially since this poor start from Scherzer meant the team had to deplete its bullpen and use six relievers to finish the game.
Fortunately, the Blue Jays have an off day on Thursday, so their relievers get an extra day of rest, but it certainly wasn’t ideal for Scherzer to have to burn through most of his bullpen just to get through this game against the Phillies, a game the Blue Jays ultimately lost.
Max Scherzer Reacts to Return to Big Leagues
Scherzer himself also spoke to reporters following the game, saying that he felt his stuff was good despite taking the loss.
“Max Scherzer mentioned several times how good he felt physically, which he believes is most important. ‘I felt like I was able to pitch. Good fastballs, good changeups, good curveballs, good sliders… You can have good stuff, and you can still get beat in this league,’” Scherzer said.
The Blue Jays signed Scherzer to a one-year, $3 million contract with incentives to return to the team after a somewhat successful first season with Toronto last year, as he helped the team get to Game 7 of the World Series.
At the time of the signing, it looked like a good deal for both player and team, as the Jays got a future HOFer on a cheap one-year deal, while Scherzer got a chance to win a third World Series ring with a contender.
But this year just simply has not gone the way anyone planned, as the Blue Jays have struggled as a team and Scherzer has been absolutely dreadful.
The Blue Jays will give Scherzer another start. But the leash must be getting awfully short at this point if this team wants to make a serious playoff push, as the legend’s performance this season just hasn’t been up to par for a team with World Series aspirations.
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