Nationals ace and NL Cy Young front-runner Max Scherzer left his start in the fourth inning against the Pirates on Saturday with a right hamstring cramp, manager Dusty Baker announced. Baker added that Scherzer underwent a precautionary MRI, but the skipper didn’t seem overly concerned about the right-hander, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweets. A major injury to Scherzer right before the playoffs could be disastrous for the Nationals, who will match up with the Cubs in the NLDS. If healthy, Scherzer should take the ball for Game 1 on Oct. 6. The two-time Cy Young winner wrapped up his regular season with 3 1/3 scoreless, five-strikeout innings on Saturday, giving him a 2.51 ERA and 12.02 K/9 against 2.47 BB/9 across 200 2/3 frames.
More on Washington and a couple other NL franchises:
- The Cardinals have discussed a new contract with impending free agent reliever Juan Nicasio, who made it clear Saturday that he’d like to re-sign with the club. “Try and make a good deal. I want to stay here,” Nicasio told his agent (via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, on Twitter). Acquired in a trade with Philadelphia on Sept. 6, Nicasio has served as the Cardinals’ closer down the stretch and thrown 10 innings of two-run ball with the team. In 71 1/3 innings divided among Pittsburgh, Philly and St. Louis this season, the 31-year-old has put up a 2.61 ERA and logged 8.69 K/9 against 2.49 BB/9.
- The Phillies’ decision to change managers could cost them promising hitting coach Matt Stairs, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes. In Stairs’ first year on the job, the former slugger has won the favor of the Phillies’ hitters and played a key role in the development of some of their young players, details Zolecki. Thanks in part to Stairs, the Phillies’ offense has posted better numbers across the board than last year’s, including in the runs scored department (679 to 610). Stairs told Zolecki that he’d “love” to continue in Philly, but he realizes his fate rests with the team’s next manager.
- On Saturday, the Nationals activated infielder Stephen Drew from the 60-day disabled list and moved reliever Shawn Kelley to the 60-day DL with bone chips in his right elbow. The move was made so Drew would be eligible for the postseason, though he’s unlikely to be ready for NLDS action, per Jamal Collier of MLB.com. An abdominal strain has shelved Drew since July 25, before which he slashed a disappointing .253/.302/.358 in 106 plate appearances. Kelley, who last pitched Sept. 22, also endured a poor regular season (7.27 ERA in 26 innings). The two-time Tommy John recipient is due a $5.5MM salary in 2018.
Really hope Nicasio can stay. He actually could be a solid set up man or even a closer for the club.
I am on mlblblbtraderumors at 1:03 a.m. my time. Wut am I doing? Lol. Find me sumthing to do I need to do. Lol.
Bed
For the love of baseball, please fire the worst pitching staff manager in baseball not named Dusty Baker !yes Matheny, Trade Wong ,Piscotty ,Fowler and the human hair clog on the bases,Matt Carpenter! That shoulder isn’t going to age well.Who am I Kidding, Mo has screwed this up with to many of the same guy .Oh well , we will keep going to the ballpark,management will keep up the same approach and the Cards will be looking up at the Cubs for the foreseeable future…..
Great attitude, Dad.
You’re a buffoon
The Cards can’t trade Fowler, they gave him 5 years with a full no-trade clause.
Ahem… Mike Leake.
Cardinals have won multiple World Series Championships recently, and put together a decent team, yet you still complain. Pathetic.
They haven’t done anything that the 3 closest baseball teams to the Lou have done in the Mozaliak era! Quite frankly, with the team being 2nd in attendance, having the 8th highest ticket prices, yet having only the 14th highest payroll, I find that pathetic along with your glossing over a now antiquated approach for this division! Maybe next year you’ll figure it out but I doubt because you yourself are pathetic with your free pass so that’s that…
Yeah, so lets go overspend and trade away all our young players like Dad is hoping. Team finished 4 games out of the Wild Card. Brewers pitching falling apart, so their run may be short lived, and Cubs losing multiple starters, but please tell me how we should just blow up our team. Smh. Pathetic.
Overspend? You do realize this team is rolling in revenue while having the 8th highest ticket prices while at the same time, only having the 14th highest payroll!
Watching what transpired the last few years and idiots like you who enable this BS is what’s pathetic but I digress…
If these guys were playing on the coasts you probably would not be able to pick them out of a lineup .
You’re spot on dude!
If he really is a Dad I feel for his kids.
Stephen Drew hitting a disappointing.253!
I’d have to guess that’s a career best.
.252 career average, so not really disappointing. Much better than 14/15 Drew. That was disappointing.
People continuously take the adjective in front of slash lines to specifically apply to the batting average, when it’s more directed at the latter two (more important) categories. Drew’s .105 ISO is the lowest mark of his career, coming after he slugged .524, so yeah, I think the Nats are a bit disappointed that they laid out $3.5M for a guy no longer hitting for any power
Agreed. Any expectation for a repeat of 2016 at this point is not the wisest bet. This year was a very small sample size(106 PA) as well. So, while it is the lowest ISO of his career, it’s more in line with his averages from 2011-2015(yes still lower). At this point in his career you take what you get, and at least he was getting some hits and on base at an ok clip. Next year one can expect a small bump in power, but at 35 next year and never having much power through his career, not a whole lot can be truly expected at this point.
Plus the Nats already have in Difo everything Drew brings, but with possibly a little less power. Difo is younger, cheaper, faster. Can’t imagine why the Nats would bring Drew back next year.
Kershaw is the front runner
Kershaw is easily the front runner for the Cy Young. Missed 5 weeks and still has crazy numbers. Should have won it when R.A. Dicey won it and should win it this year. If he can put it together in the playoffs, he will go down as one of the all time greats. If not, he’s Dan Marino. Great regular season stats but not when it matters most. Can’t blame it on the Cardinals this year if he can’t get it done.
All time great even if his arm falls off tomorrow and he never pitches again.
Is already in top 10 best pitchers ever talk today but not going to win Cy Young this year with missing 6 weeks.
And not even Top 100 in the Post Season.
The man came back from a herniated disc in 2 months to pitch in october on short rest 2 times and pitched well in every game but the last. If the uneducated fans think he is a choker so be it. No one blames anything on the cardinals.
I am on mlblblbtraderumors at 1:03 a.m. my time. Wut am I doing? Lol. Find me sumthing to do I need to do. Lol.
Bed
Go to Hoopsrumors, Profootballrumors, Prohockeyrumors.
Lots of crazy stuff going on in NBA NFL. For instance, did you know Russell Westbrook signed a five year $205MM contract on Kevin Durant’s birthday? Lots of troll-material right there.
Thank you, Mr.Banana, but I would prefer a website to troll not affiliated with this one.
Something I’ve noticed about the Phillies over the past 2 years as the kids have been coming up- the team chemistry is amazing. While I am cool with the most likely option (Wathan), I feel like I’d rather the phils go after another father figure type guy like Chuck. Charlie Manuel was the cherry on top in those years where we were great because the players saw him as almost like a father figure. Thats why his nickname was Uncle Charlie.
This wont happen either but if we can get Utley to retire and become the manager that’d be amazing. When we had Sandberg, who was the worst manager I’ve ever seen (albeit a biased opinion), Utley really took the reigns and kept those joke teams together to some degree. You want to talk about a respected man in Baseball- Mr. Utley is among the best.
Not sure that Utley would make the best manager. He doesn’t appear to be outspoken enough, and is often too rigid in his demeanor to truly lead a club from the dugout.
Y0u want a manager who connects with players, and I’m not sure Utley can do that while not playing. He was more of a lead by example type player, and you can’t do that as a manager.
I was never a fan of Manuel, and believe he personally cost the team at least a World Series title or two, specifically with his mismanaging the pitchers in the post-season.
The first half of the season I never saw any posts from you or anyone else about the Phillies “amazing chemistry”
Why is that?
You would be mistaken as I’ve brought up the relationship between Franco and Galvis on multiple occasions. Furthermore, chemistry is instrumental in success. During the second half, when Williams, Hoskins, Crawford (all the guys who played together in AA,AAA etc.) received call-ups, they brought with them that chemistry which has translated to on-field results. A good manager effectively facilitates that chemistry in an attempt to bring the team completely together, making everyone on the team feel like they’re part of something bigger than a baseball team. Pete didn’t do that, which is why I bring it up following the announcement that they will change managers. Charlie Manuel did, which is why I brought him up as a comparison.
Utley is not a manager type. And he still had 1 more year in him.
I hope they do resign Nicasio, he’s been a solid bullpen piece in a very shaky bullpen this year
Typical Dusty. Ruining his pitchers in a meaningless game.