With the Braves holding a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven NLCS, Game 6 is set for Saturday night in Atlanta. Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer was lined up to start Game 6 for the Dodgers on regular rest, but news broke Friday night that he was scratched due to right arm fatigue. Walker Buehler will instead start Game 6 on short rest. He was lined up for a potential Game 7 — should the Dodgers win Game 6 to remain alive — but now Scherzer believes he might be OK to go in that one.
He spoke with reporters on Saturday and said he “overcooked” his arm a bit (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). That likely has to do with him pitching an inning to close out Game 5 of the NLDS against the Dodgers on two days of rest and then starting Game 2 of the NLCS after just two more days of rest. He only lasted 4 1/3 innings in Game 2 and was noticeably gassed. After the game, he said his arm felt “dead.”
As for Game 7, if it happens, Scherzer said he feels confident he can start it, but he isn’t quite sure how long he can go (via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). He noted that he was able to throw from a distance of 90 feet each of the last two days and he couldn’t do that in the prior days following his Game 2 outing.
In all, this probably qualifies as good news for the Dodgers, but it also doesn’t sound like they are lining up a vintage, prime Mad Max outing. Scherzer is rightfully a supremely confident pitcher when he’s right, so to hear him saying stuff like he’s “not sure” isn’t confidence-inspiring.
Of course, he’s also a competitor of the highest order. In the 2019 World Series, he was scratched from his Game 5 scheduled start due to having such a bad neck injury that he couldn’t even sit down properly. He ended up gutting through five innings without having his best stuff in Game 7, which the Nationals won.
The bottom line is Scherzer is on the table for Game 7 start, if the Dodgers win Game 6, and not much would surprise if he does take the hill.
