New York Mets ace Max Scherzer struggled with his first game since being suspended Wednesday night, he allowed six runs on eight hits in 3 ⅓ innings against the Detroit Tigers during the second match of a doubleheader.
“I was spraying the ball, especially out of the stretch, and that’s what you expect coming off a long layoff,” Scherzer said. “The No. 1 thing was getting through this start healthy, and we did that. Now we can move forward.”
The Tigers won 8-1 to sweep the twin bill.
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Major League Baseball suspended Scherzer for 10 games on April 20 after a foreign substance was found in his pitching hand during his April 19th start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Max was facing the Tigers for the third time since exiting the team after the 2014 season. In the first of those starts, he matched a league record for a nine-inning game with 20 strikeouts in a May 2016 win in Washington. Then he scored 14 more over eight innings when he returned to Comerica Park.
Scherzer walked Zach McKinstry to start the first inning, the first walk Detroit had gotten from him since he left town. He allowed two runs in a 22-pitch inning.
In the second inning, Scherzer retired Matt Vierling on the first pitch, but Eric Haase delivered his second home run to make it 3-0. Andy Ibanez followed with a base hit, but Scherzer scaled through the inning without more damage.
He then got a drama-free check for sticky substances from first base umpire Adam Beck.
“It was just a normal check,” Scherzer said.
When the Detroit Tigers went down in order in the third, Akil Baddoo was to start the fourth and Vierling ensued with a long home run to left-center field. Scherzer sent out Haase, but Ibanez and McKinstry singled, bringing Buck Showalter out of the dugout and reliever Zach Muckenhirn into the game.
“Obviously, we were hoping for a little better results, but I think his command was just off,” Showalter said. “That happens with pitchers. I’m sure he’ll be better the next time out.”
Tigers fans gave Max Scherzer a loud ovation as he walked off the field with his head down.
“It is hard to enjoy something like that when you pitch badly, but I have always appreciated the support from the fans here,” he said.
Ibanez scored on Riley Greene’s single, including another run to Scherzer’s pitching line.
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