This is hardly the kind of Max Scherzer that the baseball world has grown accustomed to over the better part of the last two decades — whether it’s a slump or just the unstoppable passage of time that ultimately saps the supremacy from every sports star.
The Mets co-ace was rocked for four home runs on Saturday night by the Boston Red Sox in an 8-6 loss when every result is vital for a team barely hanging on in the National League Wild Card race.
It raised his season ERA to 4.20 through 18 starts, a mark that hasn’t been this high this late in a season since 2012 when he owned a 4.84 ERA through 18 starts with the Detroit Tigers. His 22 home runs allowed in 100.2 innings this season are the most in the majors.
He allowed just 13 round-trippers in 145.1 innings pitched last season.
“It’s just one of those things,” Scherzer said (h/t SNY). “I’m in a funk right now where I’m just homer prone.”
With it has come a litany of issues that have kept the right-hander from attaining any real sort of consistency. He’s battled neck and back problems throughout the season, a slider that at times hasn’t clicked, and difficulties with his command.
On Saturday night, his slider was better, but his command was off.
“It’s just execution,” Scherzer said. “I absolutely have to execute better. I have to get into those upper quadrants better. That’s easy to diagnose… That’s the bad. I get it. I own it. Not here to make excuses for it. I’ll answer for all of those pitches. That’s the bad. The good? Look, I came in saying I was gonna throw a better slider, I thought I did.”
But the nights that one thing is lacking seem to outnumber the nights that have everything together. He’s allowed four or more runs in three of his last four starts, six or more hits in exactly half of his outings this season, and multi-home runs in six appearances.
With it has come an inability to complete the true co-ace vision that was created this winter when Justin Verlander was signed. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner has been coming around as of late, posting a 1.74 ERA and 26 strikeouts over his last five starts.
The duo might not be together for that much longer with the Mets potentially selling at the trade deadline. But manager Buck Showalter will continue to put his faith in Scherzer until the very end — whenever that might come.
“Max seems to always have a way of figuring things out and being there for us and competing,” Showalter said. “He’s done it for a long time… Max is hard on himself in a good way. But I trust him.”
