WASHINGTON — Nationals Max Scherzer didn't have a great last outing. And it came to a head in the fourth inning of Washington's July 8 game against the San Diego Padres.
Scherzer looked deflated after giving up multiple home runs that inning, including a grand slam to rookie relief pitcher Daniel Camarena. But only hours after being rocked by the Padres, the consistent right-handed starter was announced as an MLB All-Star.
It's the eighth time in his career Scherzer has been an MLB All-Star. He believes it's his durability and consistency that's made his career to this point so successful.
Scherzer told WUSA9 pridefully that he believes the durability he's shown is something that many didn't believe he could accomplish.
“Sometimes when the narrative is written against you, you don’t have to follow it. You can write your own narrative.”
His latest outing versus the Padres is something Nationals fans don't see from Scherzer a lot, which is what makes him one of the best because he doesn't mess up often.
On the season, Scherzer has a 7-4 win to loss record and a 2.66 Earned Run Average (ERA). It's not terrible by any means, but even Scherzer would likely say he needs to improve, and he's not ready to say this season won't be a great one for him or the team.
Currently, the Washington Nationals (42-45) sit in fourth place in the National League East Division but are only four games back of the division-leading New York Mets.
The Nationals will have to lean on Scherzer's durability with fellow starting pitcher Steven Strasburgh out until August 1, and multiple relief pitchers either out for the season or for an extended period of time this season.
The Nationals' last game before the MLB All-Star Game will be against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.
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