Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo ripped Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi for asking umpires to check Nats pitcher Max Scherzer for foreign substances during Tuesday's game, calling him a "con artist."

Rizzo told The Sports Junkies on Wednesday that Girardi was attempting to get under Scherzer's skin rather than being worried about any foreign-substance issues:

"What are we, idiots? Of course he was. It's embarrassing for Girardi. It's embarrassing for the Phillies. It's embarrassing for baseball. Yes, he was playing games. Hey, that's his right. Gamesmanship. It had nothing to do with substances. He had no probable cause to ask for it. The umps shouldn't have allowed it. But it happened, and you've got to deal with it. This is what we're gonna have to deal with.

"You think you're gonna intimidate a Max Scherzer? It's just not gonna happen. You're just gonna piss him off and make him concentrate that much harder. This is about breaking Max's rhythm and frustrating him and that type of thing, and it didn't work. Our bullpen pitched great, we got some timely hits, and we beat the Phillies. So we move on. We play them today again, so that's good."

Scherzer was checked for substances on three occasions Tuesday night, including a check requested by Girardi with one on and one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. The future Hall of Famer took exception to the new protocol and was angered by Girardi's request, culminating in a staredown as he went to the dugout in the fifth inning.

Girardi then left the dugout to seemingly challenge Nationals hitting coach Kevin Long to a fight, leading to his ejection. Scherzer struck out eight and gave up a lone run during his five innings of work as the Nationals earned a 3-2 victory.

Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski called Rizzo's comments "totally improper" and said the blame was not on Girardi.

The manager said he found Scherzer wiping his head "suspicious," which was why he asked for the check.

MLB will likely see more of these altercations as the new checks for foreign substances take hold around the sport. Several pitchers, including Scherzer, have displayed their dismay by showing up umpires during the checks.

It's safe to say Max Scherzer is not a fan of consistently being checked for foreign substances during a game he's pitching.

"I'll take off all my clothes if you want to see me. I've got nothing on me," he told reporters after helping lead the Washington Nationals to a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.

While the right-hander impressed by allowing one run and two hits and striking out eight in five innings of work, the baseball took a backseat to a wild sequence.

Umpires are now checking pitchers for substances they may be using to improve their grips or spin rates, and Scherzer was checked multiple times in the early innings. He was somewhat demonstrative when it happened while holding his arms out, but things took a turn when Phillies manager Joe Girardi asked umpires to check him a third time.

As the Associated Press (h/t ESPN) noted, Scherzer "tossed his glove and hat to the ground, unbuckled his belt and appeared ready to take his pants off in what became a bizarre scene."

He then stared down Girardi while leaving the field after ending the inning, which prompted the Phillies manager to scream toward the Nationals dugout. Girardi was ejected from the game.

"I'm not playing games. I'm trying to win games here," Girardi told reporters. "I have respect for what Max has done in his career, but I have to do what's right for our team."

That it was Scherzer made the developments all the more notable, as he was one of the pitchers former Los Angeles Angels visiting clubhouse manager Brian Harkins said previously accepted substances to help his pitching. 

Harkins told Stephanie Apstein and Alex Prewitt of Sports Illustrated he gave such substances to a number of pitchers, including Scherzer, Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, Corey Kluber and Adam Wainwright.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer was pulled with a groin injury just 12 pitches into his start against the San Francisco Giants on Friday.

Scherzer downplayed the injury after the game and said he'll be day-to-day moving forward: 

The Nats ace was 5-4 with 104 strikeouts and a 2.22 ERA in 77 innings this season coming into the game. He faced just two batters before exiting on Friday.

The three-time Cy Young award winner and seven-time All-Star has been dominant since signing with Washington as a free agent in 2015, going 84-43 with a 2.80 ERA and 1,463 strikeouts. He's led the league in wins twice and strikeouts three times.

Prior to his Nationals tenure, Scherzer played for the Arizona Diamondback and Detroit Tigers. He led the American League in wins in 2013 and 2014 and won the AL Cy Young in 2013.

Scherzer has even hit the 300-strikeout mark, doing so in 2018.

The durable right-hander made 30 or more starts from 2009-18 but suffered injuries that limited him to 27 appearances in 2019. Bursitis and a right rhomboid muscle strain were the culprits.

Still, Scherzer went 11-7 with a 2.92 ERA and 243 strikeouts in 172.1 innings in 2019, registering a career-high 12.7 K/9. He finished the season as a World Series winner when the Nats took down the Houston Astros four game to three in the Fall Classic. He went 3-0 in the playoffs.

The pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign saw Scherzer go 5-4 in 12 starts with a 3.74 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 67.1 innings. The Nats went just 26-34 and finished last in their division.

Losing a pitcher of Scherzer's caliber is a massive blow to any team, made only tougher for the Nats with Stephen Strasburg and Erick Fedde already on the injured list. Patrick Corbin, Jon Lester and Joe Ross fill out the top five when everyone is healthy. 

Washington's offense is also formidable, led by star, power-hitting outfielder Juan Soto and speedy shortstop Trea Turner. However, the team entered Friday sitting at the bottom of the NL East, seven games back of the New York Mets at 25-33.

The Nats can hold down the fort, though they obviously will hope the injury isn't serious and that they'll get their ace back as soon as possible if they want a chance of competing as the season moves toward the halfway point.

The Washington Nationals placed star pitcher Stephen Strasburg on the injured list with a neck strain.

He started Tuesday's 11-6 win over the Atlanta Braves but threw only 30 pitches before exiting in the second inning.

The IL designation comes after Strasburg underwent an MRI.

Following the Nationals' 2019 World Series triumph, the franchise handed the right-hander a seven-year, $245 million contract. He had finished fifth in the National League Cy Young voting and won the World Series MVP. It seemed like a reasonable investment at the time.

Unfortunately for the Nationals, the deal is looking more regrettable now.

Strasburg was limited to two games in 2020, eventually undergoing surgery for carpal tunnel neuritis in his throwing hand. His 2021 season didn't start off much better as he left his second appearance after allowing seven runs over four innings.

Washington placed the 32-year-old on the injured list with shoulder inflammation in April.

Losing Strasburg to an injury again obviously hurts the Nationals' playoff chances, but their concerns likely extend beyond this season. The three-time All-Star is signed through 2026, so his shoulder problems in particular raise obvious questions about his long-term value.

A streaker who ran on the field during a rain delay between the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals on Wednesday night tried to hide in the tarp roller before being removed by security.

Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today noted the male streaker, whose name wasn't released, entered through center field and was arrested after being caught by authorities at Nationals Park.

It's unknown if the man has been charged with any crimes.

Washington was leading 3-0 in the fourth inning when the rain delay was called. The Nats scored twice in the first inning and once in the third.

The game was ultimately suspended and will resume at 2:05 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon. The clubs will then play a seven-inning game, tentatively scheduled for 7:05 p.m., to finish the three-game series.

Cincinnati won the first matchup on Tuesday by a 2-1 score.

Starting pitchers are often creatures of habit, which means they will stay on schedule regardless of what is happening around them.

Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer proved this theory Monday when he threw warm-up pitches despite a graduation ceremony for Georgetown University at Nationals Park.

Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post confirmed Scherzer was throwing during the ceremony.

The 36-year-old is scheduled to start for Washington on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, so it was important to get the bullpen session in and recover in time for his appearance. Of course, he also could have found a different location or time of day so he wouldn't have interfered with the graduation.

The good news is it probably gave the graduates and their guests a memorable story to tell.

The Washington Nationals will be without two players for the immediate future after manager Dave Martinez announced one player tested positive for COVID-19, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.

The player who tested positive was vaccinated and is asymptomatic, while the other player is in quarantine following contact tracing.

Washington is scheduled to face the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday in the third game of a four-game set at Wrigley Field.

"The vaccination did work," Martinez told reporters. "He's not sick. He feels fine."

Having players vaccinated can provide a competitive advantage for teams, in addition to the health and safety benefits. 

Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News noted Major League Baseball allows vaccinated players who test positive to return earlier than the 10 days designated by the COVID-19 injury list if the player is asymptomatic and tests negative twice.

The positive test for the Nationals comes as the New York Yankees also deal with some breakthrough cases.

On Sunday, ESPN noted a staff member became the ninth person of the Yankees' traveling party to test positive. Shortstop Gleyber Torres was one of those who did and was placed on the COVID-19 injured list.

As for Washington, it is off to a disappointing start to the season at 16-22.

It's in last place in the National League East and just 4-10 in the last 14 games.

Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner has been one of the best in the majors at his position the past few years, but it seems he is no longer good enough for Kevin Durant's team on MLB The Show.

The Brooklyn Nets star said on Twitter he might be replacing Turner on his virtual team with Los Angeles Angels pitcher/outfielder Shohei Ohtani:

Turner reacted to the news Wednesday:

It's difficult for any athlete to lose support, especially from a well-known fan of his team. Durant is from the Washington D.C. area and has a Nationals tattoo.

The good news is Turner is likely on plenty more rosters in the video game thanks to his all-around ability.

The 27-year-old currently has a .323 batting average with eight home runs and a league-leading seven stolen bases in 31 games this season. He finished seventh in voting for the NL MVP award in 2020.

In the midst of a rough start to the 2021 season for the Washington Nationals, Max Scherzer is doing his best to keep the team going strong. 

The three-time Cy Young winner set a Yankee Stadium record for an opposing pitcher with 14 strike outs over 7.1 innings in Saturday's 4-3 loss against the New York Yankees. 

The only run Scherzer gave up was on a solo homer to Kyle Higashioka in the bottom of the third. 

New York's only other hit against Scherzer was DJ LeMahieu's single two batters after Higashioka's home run. 

Unfortunately for Scherzer, he wound up getting a no-decision. The Yankees tied the score at two in the bottom of the ninth on Gleyber Torres' RBI single off Washington closer Brad Hand. 

After the two teams traded runs in the 10th inning, Torres walked it off for the Yankees with a base hit off Tanner Rainey that allowed LeMahieu to score. 

Scherzer's 14 strikeouts were his most in a game since June 30, 2019, when he also punched out 14 against the Detroit Tigers. 

Saturday's brilliant outing brought Scherzer's season totals to a 2.33 ERA, 0.78 WHIP with 61 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. 

The Nationals are off to a 13-16 start in 2021. The good news for them is no one else in the National League East has taken off, so they only have one more loss than the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies (18-15). 

If Scherzer can continue to pitch at a high level and the lineup around Trea Turner and Juan Soto heat up, Washington should have no problems competing for a playoff spot in the NL.