Max Scherzer returned to the mound in Detroit on Wednesday night after serving his 10-game suspension as a result of an illegal substance ejection against the Dodgers on April 19.
The right-hander worked through lower velocity and rhythm issues after the long layoff in a start in which he allowed six earned runs in 3.1 innings of work in the Mets' 8-1 loss to the Tigers.
“I didn’t do a good job of locating and I didn’t pitch well out of the stretch,” Scherzer said. “When you have a long layoff, the first thing that goes is pitching out of the stretch. That’s where mistakes are made.”
Despite the loss, Scherzer recognizes the steps needed to regain momentum on the mound in his starts moving forward.
“The number one thing is getting back through this start healthy,” Scherzer said. “Now, we can get going again. Increase the pitch count and get back in rhythm. I’m working back from this and trying to navigate through the lineup. Hopefully, I get back in sync with mechanics and get through the ball better.”
Manager Buck Showalter echoed his starter’s thoughts on the impact of nearly a two week gap in between starts.
“It’s a step in the process. He went 13 days without pitching. I tried to get him to 80 pitches to build him up.”
Although Scherzer’s velocity on his fastball was lower on Wednesday, Showalter trusts Scherzer’s pitches to regain sharpness.
“That happens with a lot of pitchers. I think he’ll get better each time out. Max has a good enough repertoire when he has his command.”
