Nationals ace Max Scherzer was scratched from his scheduled start Friday night in San Diego and have placed him on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 15. The most concerning part is that it's again a stiff neck -- though the opposite side of the neck this time -- which sidelined him for a quick stretch a few weeks ago. Manager Dusty Baker told reporters that he's "concerned, but worrying is not going to change it." (Via Mark Zuckerman on Twitter)
Yeah, I'd say it's concerning.
Look, the Nationals aren't in any danger of missing the postseason or anything. They entered Friday with a 14-game lead in the NL East. It's just that the rotation is already in rough shape. Joe Ross is out for the season and Stephen Strasburg is on the disabled list. If Scherzer's neck injury lingers, the possibility that this could impact the postseason remains and that's gotta be a scary thought for the Nationals as they hope to advance past the NLDS for the first time.
Scherzer, 33, is the NL Cy Young frontrunner after having won it last year. He's 12-5 with a 2.25 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and an NL-best 220 strikeouts in 160 1/3 innings.
The good news here is the Nationals can afford to take it slow with Scherzer to make sure he's 100 percent come October.
More good news: Strasburg returns to the rotation Saturday.
Still, the Scherzer neck issue is worrisome. He's eligible to return on Aug. 25.
