Scherzer saga feels eerily familiar

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - If you paid any attention to the saga that was Max Scherzer's summer of 2019, the sequence of events that took place here over the last few days should not have surprised you.

First there was manager Davey Martinez hinting that Scherzer might skip his scheduled Grapefruit League start, instead throwing an extra bullpen session, all in the name of saving up some of the bullets in his arm leading up to opening day.

Then Martinez revealed Scherzer indeed wouldn't be starting Tuesday against the Marlins, but instead was going to throw off the bullpen mound, again not because of any physical ailments but because this was part of the plan all along.

Then Scherzer revealed that he had been scratched from the start because of - wait for it - a physical ailment. His right side was bothering him, a byproduct of the mechanical changes he made to his throwing motion last summer to account for lingering back and neck injuries and his desire to return to the mechanics he had before getting hurt in the first place.

Again, this felt all too familiar.

Remember when the Nationals announced Scherzer wouldn't be pitching in last summer's All-Star Game because of a stiff back, but the ace right-hander insisted he'd make his first scheduled start coming out of the break? And remember when Scherzer wound up not making that start, instead going on the injured list and ultimately pitching just once over a six-week span?

Now, it would be unfair to speculate at this moment Scherzer will end up missing that much time. Or any time at all. He insisted Tuesday he'll be good to go for Sunday's exhibition game against the Mets, and that there's no doubt in his mind he'll be pitching in the season opener (now a mere 15 days away).

But at this point, we all should have learned to be at least a little skeptical of Martinez's injury updates, and certainly of Scherzer's claims he'll be good to pitch his next scheduled time out.

The line from Scherzer on Tuesday was that his side was bothering him, but he still was able to play long toss from as much as 300 feet, and that will help strengthen the muscle.

Maybe that all comes to fruition. Or maybe it's wishful thinking from a guy who always believes he can push his body beyond what mortal doctors and trainers believe he should.

"If I go too far, or push it too much, I can create an injury out of this," Scherzer said. "Today, I am throwing a baseball hard and not feeling anything."

OK, but until we actually see him on the mound pitching in a game again, and until we are convinced this ailment is behind him, it's perfectly appropriate to view Scherzer through a skeptical lens.