Max Scherzer was not sharp in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ loss to the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the NLCS on Sunday night, and the right-hander raised some concerns with his explanation for the subpar performance.
Scherzer allowed four hits and two earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. The outing wasn’t terrible, but it certainly wasn’t his best effort. After L.A. lost 5-4, Scherzer told reporters he is dealing with dead arm.
Scherzer said his arm usually loosens up after about 45 pitches, but that did not happen for him on Sunday. The 37-year-old insists he has no concerns about pitching later in the series, however.
It’s no surprise that Scherzer’s arm is feeling fatigued. He threw seven innings in a 1-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants in Game 3 of the NLDS last Monday. He then pitched an inning and got the save in Game 5 just three days later before making his Game 2 NLCS start on two days rest.
Scherzer was openly upset when Dave Roberts pulled him from a game earlier in the postseason (video here), but perhaps the Dodgers manager was onto something. The Dodgers now have to hope they give Scherzer a chance to pitch again after dropping the first two games of the NLCS.
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