Uh oh, did you hear that noise? It was the collective gasp of Washington Nationals fans from Saturday night, when Max Scherzer left with some sort of injury in his final start of the season. Less than a week before the Chicago Cubs face off against the Nationals in the NLDS, Washington's ace departed early after what appears to be a leg issue.
During the fourth inning, Scherzer took his time on the mound after delivering a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates and looked uncomfortable. Nationals players called for time and met with Scherzer on the mound, prompting Dusty Baker and Washington's athletic trainer to come out.
The Nationals TV announcers said they could see him mouth that something was tight. Scherzer then exited the game.
Scherzer is one of the best starting pitchers in the game and it would obviously be a big blow to the Nationals if he's not 100 percent for the NLDS. He's already had a few minor issues during the final eight weeks of the season.
The NLDS between the Cubs and Nationals begins on Oct. 6, in Washington D.C. The Cubs are dealing with their own starting rotation issue, as Jake Arrieta is likely to be unavailable until at least Game 3 of the series. He was on the disabled list in early September with a hamstring injury. The Cubs opted to scratch Arrieta from his scheduled start on Sunday, and will have him pitch in a simulated game next week instead. UPDATE: Dusty Baker said following the game that it was only a hamstring cramp.
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