The Texas Rangers invested an important part of their future to get Max Scherzer from the New York Mets.
Granted, the Mets are covering a huge part of their salary, but the Rangers had to give up one of their top prospects: Luisangel Acuna.
Texas obviously expects Scherzer to be what Jacob deGrom couldn’t (for health-related reasons): an ace.
Despite a rocky start to his Thursday outing, he showed determination and personality to make a huge comeback and finish strong.
Quality first start for Scherzer. #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/fvtsg6Lgmr
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) August 3, 2023
He pitched a quality start against the Chicago White Sox, conceding three earned runs in six innings of work.
He allowed seven hits and two walks, striking out nine foes.
The three runs were scored in the first inning, as Rangers fans started to worry about their new investment.
He showed the heart of a true ace and settled down after that, though.
Scherzer has suffered a few injuries this season and entered the outing with a 4.01 ERA.
That’s not bad at all, but far from the 2.29 he had last year with the Mets and his 3.15 career mark.
After the game he had against Chicago, he took his record to10-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 20 starts.
He has 130 strikeouts in 113.2 innings, with a 1.21 WHIP.
Playing for his second career World Series title and finally 100 percent healthy, that 4.04 ERA is bound to come down.
As long as he remains healthy, the Rangers will have an ace in Scherzer even though he is 39 and is becoming increasingly injury-prone, which is entirely normal for a player of his age.
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