Scherzer defends Papelbon: "Competes every single day"

On the day Jonathan Papelbon was released by the Nationals, many will remember the closer putting his hands around the neck of the eventual National League Most Valuable Player Bryce Harper at the end of last season as his lasting image with the club.

Many believed that image meant there was unrest in the Nationals clubhouse and that Papelbon was not a model teammate.

Right-hander Max Scherzer said that notion of Papelbon being a negative influence on the team at any time was ridiculous.

"That's such a joke, guys," Scherzer said. "He's not a distraction whatsoever. He comes here to play every single day. He works his absolute tail off and competes on the mound for us. All that stuff last year, that was just a media circus. We were a hundred percent behind him. We understood all of his intentions and he was great for our team. He was great for everybody in this clubhouse. To sit here and say he was a bad teammate or anything like that, it's garbage to me."

Scherzer got to see Papelbon's preparation for the season each day in the bullpen and in the weight room. He brought an attitude to his job that was infectious to his teammates.

"He's a guy who competes every single day," Scherzer said. "He works hard, extremely hard in the weight room, lifts, and he does his job and goes out there with an intensity that will be missed. Obviously, the front office is making decisions that are best for this ballclub and we believe in our front office, but from a human aspect of this and the human side of the game, Pap's going to be missed in this clubhouse."

As a pitcher, Scherzer can empathize in the moment when someone is brought on to the team that does the same job that you were hired to do. When Mark Melancon arrived as the team's new closer at the end of July, Papelbon's responsibilities were altered. He ended up pitching in just two more games since the trade for the Pirates closer.

"It's always going to be tough for somebody, but he couldn't have handled it any better, and I truly mean that," Scherzer said. "He's a true professional in that regard. Look, he was struggling and we made a trade for a great closer. He completely was going to suck it up and accept his role to be a part of this team, do whatever he can to help fight for us and try to win, and ultimately win a World Series. He was a hundred percent committed to that goal.

"There was no crying about it, there was no whining about it, there were no demands about it. He just wanted to be a part of this team. Unfortunately, some things went sideways and some other way, but when you talk about a veteran guy in this clubhouse and what he can do for us, he's going to be missed."

Right-hander Shawn Kelley also commented on what Papelbon went through in the bullpen as he watched Melancon get the closing calls.

"Nothing different. He got ready, went about his business and was ready to pitch in any situation," Kelley said. "He knew he wasn't closing, and he was just down there waiting for the phone to ring, just like the rest of us."

Scherzer said Papelbon had to handle not being successful and see his velocity drop from 92-93 mph to 89-90 mph during the rough patch at the end of July.

The slump came at the wrong time for a team that had few weaknesses as it pressed to stay in first place. Papelbon's struggles stood out.

"If you looked at his pitches, he's got a great split, great slider, and his fastball even at 90 mph still had life," Scherzer said. "He was still able to pitch up in the zone with that. Every pitcher goes through a funk and I just felt like he was in a funk.

"He seemed to be having a funk at the wrong time of the year. That really seemed to hurt us. But it doesn't change my opinion of him, of what he can do on the ball field, and the type of guy he is in the clubhouse."