Max Scherzer hasn't looked like his typical ace self coming out of the gate in 2023. After a rough ending put a damper an otherwise solid season-opening start, the veteran was knocked around again in his final inning of work on Tuesday night, allowing three straight home runs in an eventual 9-0 loss in Milwaukee.
Scherzer pointed to location struggles with two strikes as part of his early trouble, and Buck Showalter says he has seen the same.
"He had pretty good stuff, just a couple pitches he didn't get where he normally gets them, and paid for it," Showalter said. "They're swinging the bats well, we knew that coming in."
Despite having allowed eight runs in 11.1 innings in two starts, Showalter believes Scherzer's rough beginning would not be as much of a talking point if the team's dormant offense was performing, which it is not, currently among the bottom three in baseball in team OPS and home runs.
"He's human. It all gets magnified because we're not scoring any runs," Showalter said. "That's been the thing that's caught my eye right now more than anything. Max, I'm not too concerned about that."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say 'Play W-F-A-N')
