Written by Jorge Castillo at Washington Post.com
Dusty Baker strolled out to the mound at Camden Yards on Tuesday night for an up-close examination of his ace. It was the bottom of the eighth inning of the Nationals’ 5-4 loss to the Orioles, and his club held a 4-2 lead at the time. Max Scherzer’s pitch count read 109. Adam Jones had just belted the Orioles’ second home run and all-star Manny Machado was looming.
Baker was deciding whether to keep Scherzer in to face Machado and he was in search of a look from his intense right-hander. Sometimes, Baker explained, he senses fear during mound visits. Other times he detects fatigue. Then, on occasion, there’s determination. That’s what Scherzer communicated, emphatically.
“I got him,” Scherzer said. “I [explicative] got him.”
How can you not love Max Scherzer? Doesn’t take a top lip reader to figure this one out pic.twitter.com/sChcxhamQb
— David Malitz (@malitzd) May 10, 2017
The ardent assertion was enough to convince Baker, and Scherzer got Machado just as he said he would. The third baseman flew out on the fourth pitch of his at-bat to conclude the eighth inning and Scherzer’s outing, which began with 5 1/3 hitless innings. It was the 10th time Scherzer has carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning in 74 starts with the Nationals. That’s the most in the majors during that span.
“I knew the situation in the game,” said Scherzer, who allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out 11. “I knew with a two-run lead that I still had the pitches left to face Machado. I knew how I pitched him and knew that I had enough in the tank to face him. So he basically came out just to see how I was doing. I told him I was good.”
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