‘Fiery’ Scherzer eager to stoke Nats’ momentum
Nationals ace Max Scherzer has been biding his time the last few days, anxiously awaiting his chance to face the Cubs in the National League Division Series.
Scherzer is not exactly the most patient person, but with a bum right hamstring incurred during his final start of the regular season, he understood the need to rest it and ensure he was ready to go all-out in October.
“I was champing at the bit, knowing I was going to get my opportunity to get into this series,” Scherzer said Sunday before the Nats’ workout at Wrigley Field. “Roller-coaster two games there. Heck of a ballgame, Game 1, and the way we came back in Game 2; that was a crazy eighth inning for us.
“We’ve got some good momentum on our side. Guys had a little bounce in their step today, so that’s what makes it great. You know, momentum can swing in a heartbeat.”
That’s exactly what happened in the first two games with Kris Bryant breaking up Stephen Strasburg’s no-hitter and giving the Cubs the lead for good in the sixth inning of Game 1, and Bryce Harper homering off Carl Edwards Jr. in the eighth inning of Game 2 to tie things up and launch the Nats to their comeback win.
Now the Nationals send one of the era’s most dominant starters to the mound Monday, with a chance to go up 2-1 in the series and put the Cubs on the brink.
Manager Dusty Baker said Scherzer, a two-time Cy Young award winner who may be the favorite for a third this year, has been the same “fiery” guy he has RESULTS, SCHEDULE always been while awaiting his 2017 postseason debut.
“Max is the same Max,” Baker said. “He’s not talking quite as much. Sometimes he’ll get on your nerves talking. But if he’s not talking, then you miss it.”
The last time Scherzer faced the Cubs, he coasted through six innings June 27 in Washington, allowing one run on two hits. That was the game in which the Nats swiped seven bases off Jake Arrieta and catcher Miguel Montero, leading to Montero’s rant and the end of his days with the Cubs.
In Scherzer’s last start at Wrigley Field, he gave up seven runs in five innings in an 8-6 loss May 6, 2016, yielding home runs to Tommy La Stella, Anthony Rizzo and Ben Zobrist, who got him twice. But the next time he faced the Cubs a month later, Scherzer allowed one run on two hits over seven innings in a 4-1 win in Washington.
Nats catcher Matt Wieters said the thing that impresses him most about Strasburg and Scherzer is their willingness to continually work hard at seeking perfection, even as they’re among the highest-paid starters in baseball.
“It’s fun and it’s given me a lot to work with, stuff-wise and makeupwise, with all these guys,” Wieters said. “And it also presents a whole set of new challenges. You’ve got to be able to work them where they’ll continue to improve and not just get complacent with who they are.
“That’s the one thing that’s been easier than not, because they have such drive and such effort.”
Scherzer is ready. The Nats are ready. And you’d better believe Baker is ready for his first postseason game at Wrigley since managing the Cubs in their Game 7 loss to the Marlins in the National League Championship Series 14 years ago.
“Hey, we’re in the playoffs,” Scherzer said. “Every game is must-win. This is going to be a crazy atmosphere here at Wrigley.
“I can’t wait to toe the rubber.”