Rangers put Max Scherzer put on 15-day IL with right shoulder fatigue

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Rangers put Max Scherzer put on 15-day IL with right shoulder fatigue

2024-08-03 12:10 Last Updated At：12:21

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Max Scherzer was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday because of right shoulder fatigue, though Texas manager Bruce Bochy doesn't expect the three-time Cy Young Award winner and active career strikeout leader to be out any longer than that.

“We don’t think it’ll be more than 15 days,” Bochy said after the Rangers' 11-6 loss to Boston. “Yeah, he actually thinks a couple more days he could be ready. But we have some concern for him. We want to take care of him and have him for the rest of the year. That’s why we’re giving him a break right now.”

Scherzer (2-4) has made only eight starts since his season debut June 23 following offseason back surgery and then dealing with a nerve issue in his arm.

The Rangers had announced the move about 90 minutes before the homestand opener, after Bochy had already completed his pregame meeting with reporters. The move was retroactive to Wednesday, a day after Scherzer didn’t pitch past the fourth inning for the third time in a span of four starts.

Scherzer, who was born in St. Louis and grew up in the area, allowed three runs in four innings while throwing 68 pitches in a loss against the Cardinals on Tuesday night. His five strikeouts pushed his career total to 3,405.

Bochy said after that game that Scherzer’s arm “just fatigued there,” and that he could feel it in his triceps.

Scherzer said that night that he was “trying to grind through these starts and ramp up.” He added that he just needed an extra day and didn’t need to go on the IL.

The Rangers had an off day Thursday, so had they stayed in order, his next turn would have been Monday. Now the earliest he would be available again is Aug. 15.

In his last home start July 25, two days before this 40th birthday, Scherzer allowed one run and struck out nine over six innings against the Chicago White Sox. He passed fellow three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander for 10th on the strikeout list — and the most among active pitchers.

Losing Scherzer puts the Rangers rotation in more flux. Jon Gray is on the IL for the second time this season with a right groin strain after getting hurt on his final warmup pitch before his scheduled start last Sunday, and the earliest he could return is Aug. 13. They completed a deal Monday to trade right-hander Michael Lorenzen.

“You've got to power through it, that's all you can do,” Bochy said. “You've got to piece it together and keep battling. That's all you can do.”

Tyler Mahle could make his Rangers debut Tuesday, nearly 15 months after Tommy John surgery. Texas signed the right-hander to a $22 million, two-year contract in free agency last winter with the anticipation that he could pitch this season.

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom is scheduled to throw another bullpen session Saturday and will progress to throwing to hitters if all goes well then. He is recovering from his own right elbow surgery, which came after he went 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA in his only six starts early last season after signing with Texas in free agency.

When putting Scherzer on the IL, the Rangers recalled left-handed reliever Walter Pennington from Triple-A Round Rock. He had been assigned to that minor league club after the Rangers acquired him Monday in a trade that sent Lorenzen to Kansas City.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Patriots' pocket is not yet safe enough for Drake Maye to take over for Jacoby Brissett

2024-09-17 06:33 Last Updated At：06:41

The New England Patriots showed in Week 2 why they are sticking with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback over first-round draft pick Drake Maye.

Not because Brissett is moving the offense with his arm, or even his legs.

But because it’s not yet safe for Maye to line up behind the Patriots’ offensive line.

Brissett was sacked three times and hit a handful of others in the 23-20 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. One left the caretaker quarterback favoring his shoulder, another twisted his knee.

And the Patriots have invested too much in Maye — the No. 3 overall pick in the draft — to put the former North Carolina star at risk.

“You never want your quarterback to get hit,” coach Jerod Mayo said. “We have to do a better job with our pass (protection) up front, and we have to keep him clean. Because even when he’s not getting hit, or any quarterback, if they’re back there and they feel people around him, it always is going to affect you a little bit.”

Although the Patriots came into the season with low expectations — they were the biggest underdog in the league in Week 1 — Brissett managed the offense well enough to come away with an upset of the Cincinnati Bengals. Mayo crowed that his offensive line had been unfairly maligned.

But the problems the blockers showed in the preseason — Brissett hurt his right shoulder in the finale against Washington — reappeared against the Seahawks.

One key turning point came after Antonio Gibson broke free for a 45-yard run to the Seattle 25 with about seven minutes left and New England holding a 20-17 lead. After two runs that took almost two minutes off the clock, Brissett was sacked for a 9-yard loss, dropping the Patriots from the 21 to the 30.

The 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked, setting the Seahawks up on a short field for the tying field goal that sent the game into overtime.

The defense — especially the run defense — has been solid. The Seahawks managed just 46 yards on 19 carries.

The passing game has been slow to develop over the first two games, with Brissett totaling 30 completions for 270 yards and one touchdown so far this season. He has thrown only one pass downfield, according to Sportradar — the fewest attempts of 20 or more yards in the league. Only the Commanders (0-2), the Panthers (0-6) and the Bears (0-10) also have failed to complete a deep pass.

Tight end Hunter Henry caught eight passes, matching a career high, for a personal-best 109 yards.

After managing the season opener well enough to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, Brissett completed just 15 of 27 passes for 149 yards.

Linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, a defensive captain, left the game in the first quarter with a shoulder injury. Center David Andrews missed practice on Monday with a hip injury.

19 – Brissett completed three passes for 19 yards to wide receivers in the game. It’s the eighth time since the merger that Patriots wide receivers have picked up fewer than 20 passing yards in a game. Brissett has two of them, also connecting with wide receivers for just 16 yards in a 16-0 loss to Buffalo on Oct. 2, 2016, the final game of Tom Brady’s Deflategate suspension.

The Patriots travel to the Meadowlands to play the Jets on Thursday night.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl