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WASHINGTON – A difference between Sunday and Friday for Max Scherzer? His fastball.
On Sunday in Atlanta, Scherzer relied heavily on her four-sided fastball, and she burned. He dominated at 98 mph – his best time since returning from the injury list on August 22. In the heat of Atlanta, his fastball averaged 95.5 mph. Scherzer operated in a sublime environment: 89 degrees at the first step with progressive warming throughout the afternoon. He was hot, cowardly and efficient.
On Friday in Washington, Scherzer also relied heavily on his fast four-sided fastball, which lacked finishing. It has exceeded 96.5 mph. His average fastball was 94.3 mph. The temperature in the first pitch was 71 degrees and plunged into the 60 highs before Scherzer finished the night after five innings and 99 shots.
The Atlanta lineups for both starts were almost identical. Nick Markakis was the only staff change between Sunday and Friday. However, the shift has become a powerful change. Markakis was 2-in-3. His only exit came during a sacrifice volley in the center of the mass which earned him a speed of 100.9 mph. Otherwise, those in the team were the same, except for Matt Joyce who was eliminated in sixth place and Dansby Swanson in eighth instead of sixth.
On Sunday, Scherzer launched 54 four-sided fastballs against the Braves Group. They produced six free kicks, 12 strikes called, 10 draws and 7 balls in play. Friday, Scherzer launched 45 four-sided fast balls. They led to just three PTOs, five strikes called, 17 fouls and 10 balls in play. The seven bullets in play Sunday averaged 91.3 mph. The 10th in Friday's game averages 97.1 mph.
Why changes in this field?
"Just a climax of everything," said Scherzer. "Just be able to run launches wherever you want. I have the impression that the action on each field is pretty much what I want. Right now, he arrives at the location. There is little that I think I need to sharpen mechanically for this to happen.
The false ball and the disparity in exit speed suggest that Scherzer's fastball lacked the final finish to put the batters at a distance or produce a weak contact. Could he get away with a smaller team? Yes. Against the brave? No.
"It's a good mix and they did a good job of simply eliminating the ABs, stepping on the field and sometimes working behind them," Scherzer said. "It's just impossible to locate as well and it's something that needs to change and improve. Just be able to locate the fastball a little better and force their hand a little better in the places I want. "
Scherzer's release plunges less into the Cy Young affair, with seven hits, three earned runs, two walks and six strikeouts – influences that have all negatively influenced the categories that help him out. his arguments. But the influence of the output on the workload is more in question, the main problem being posed against him. Jacob deGrom of New York is competitive with Scherzer in several categories of advanced statistics. He is also one step ahead of him in terms of time on the mound this season because of Scherzer's two back injuries. Scherzer probably has only two starts to make this year. It will not reach 180 races before the end of the regular season.
Focus on the Cy Young Award, which does not matter after the season. Scherzer has two more starts – maybe three – before the Nationals know their fate in the playoffs and if his next start will be in October. He expects his fastball to pick up speed again by then.
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