After watching Max Scherzer toss five shutout innings on Monday night, Tiki Barber has arrived at a telling conclusion: the future Hall of Famer is no longer the dominant ace that the Mets are paying him to be.
"It was a true grind for him," Tiki said. "How many full counts did he have? He labored through his five innings.
"I don't want to say it was tough to watch…but I think one thing can be certain. Max Scherzer is not a dominant pitcher anymore."
But, Tiki made sure to add that this realization doesn't spell doom for the Mets, or for Scherzer. Given his talent and experience, Scherzer should be able to grind through starts and still get wins for his team for this season.
"That sounds like a profound statement and that it's gonna ruin the Mets' season, but he's not, and he doesn't have to be," Tiki said. "He's not a dominant pitcher anymore, and he's still one of the most important players on this team, because of how he went out and took control of a game where he did not have his best stuff.
"He's getting older…you look at his fastball, and it's not gonna blow you away, so it's all about control."
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