Max Scherzer continues to deliver striking out 13 in hometown gem
By: Rowan Kavner
Tags: Cardinals, Dodgers, Postgame, Max Scherzer, MLB

(Photo by Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

by Rowan Kavner

With much of the focus on Albert Pujols’ return to St. Louis, it was a native of the city who took center stage Monday afternoon.

Max Scherzer, who was born in St. Louis, attended high school in nearby Chesterfield and went to college at the University of Missouri, looked right at home striking out 13 batters in eight innings of work while energizing a Dodger team coming off a taxing night of travel in a 5–1 win.

“He’s better than advertised,” said manager Dave Roberts. “We knew what we were going to get as far as the player. He’s certainly even exceeded that.”

Roberts said Scherzer’s impact has extended to the clubhouse, where his accountability, preparation and conversations with teammates have rubbed off. His consistent work habits have translated to faultless production, which was needed Monday after the Dodgers arrived at their hotel from San Francisco around 3 a.m. local time.

Twelve hours later, they were back on the field, where Scherzer continued to lower his now Major League-best ERA to 2.28 on the year. He allowed one unearned run in his most dominant of a string of sensational outings since joining the Dodgers, who brought him in at the deadline hoping he’d solidify a championship roster.

He has done more than that.

Along with Walker Buehler and Julio Urías, the trio has carried the weight of a depleted rotation and channeled that burden into extraordinary results. Scherzer now has 63 strikeouts and five walks in seven starts with his new team. All seven have been wins.

“That’s what coming over here my job is to do, is to go out here when it’s my turn to go out there and win,” Scherzer said. “There’s a ton of pressure to do that. You’ve got to compartmentalize it and go out there and accept it.”

On Monday, Scherzer became one of eight pitchers ever to record at least 200 strikeouts in a season nine times. Scherzer and Justin Verlander are the only active pitchers on that list to accomplish the feat.

As much as he appreciates possessing the best ERA in the game, the 37-year-old is more focused on the process than the results.

“For me, that’s executing all five pitches, knowing when to locate, knowing how to attack the strike zone,” Scherzer said. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

He got 25 swings and misses Monday, including at least one on each of his five pitches. The Cardinals took 17 swings on his slider and swung through the pitch 10 times.

Scherzer worked with pitching coach Mark Prior and catcher Austin Barnes to make in-game adjustments after seeing how aggressive the Cardinals were early in counts. He started throwing more offspeed pitches once the mid-day shadows made it difficult for everyone on the field to see.

The tight hamstring that bothered him in his previous start never gave him problems Monday. He now has a 1.05 ERA in seven starts as a Dodger.

“He’s been outstanding,” said Chris Taylor. “We knew what we were getting, but I think he’s even exceeded our expectations. He’s been unbelievable.”

Taylor helped spot Scherzer an early 4–0 lead.

The Dodgers started the game with three straight hits after a leadoff double from Trea Turner. Taylor finished a four-run inning with a two-run home run — his 20th blast of the year and first since Aug. 28. He had one hit in his previous seven games entering the day.

“Obviously haven’t been feeling the best the last couple weeks and felt good to finally get a barrel on something and see it go over the fence and really just contribute,” Taylor said. “I’ve been grinding, especially that last series. So, that felt good. Hopefully, I can relax and carry that into the rest of the season.”

If the Dodger batters were operating on fumes early on after a tiresome 24 hours, the adrenaline quickly wore off. After a Corey Seager run-scoring single with two outs in the third inning, they didn’t get another baserunner the rest of the day.

Scherzer, who hasn’t allowed an earned run in any of his last three starts, didn’t need anything else against his hometown club.

“These aren’t the guys I grew up rooting for,” Scherzer said. “These are the guys I want to compete against.”