Scherzer throwing off mound, lined up to start Tuesday

The Nationals believe Max Scherzer is on track to make his next start Tuesday against the Mets at Citi Field.

Scherzer, who has been dealing with what he calls a "tweaked" right hamstring, is throwing a standard bullpen session this afternoon. It's exactly what he would do three days before starting a game, under normal circumstances.

"He's treating it as if he's getting ready for his next start," manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame Zoom session with reporters.

The veteran right-hander played catch Friday and reported no problems, according to Martinez. Now he'll ramp things up a bit and see if he can throw pitches off the mound without experiencing discomfort in his back leg.

"My biggest concern is him being able to push off his leg," Martinez said. "And if he's able to do that, I think he's going to be all right."

Scherzer lasted only one inning Wednesday night against the Mets, throwing 27 pitches and looking uncomfortable in the process. Afterward, he said he had tweaked his hamstring while running sprints the previous day. He had first experienced the problem preparing for his earlier start against the Blue Jays, though he still managed to toss 7 1/3 scoreless innings on a season-high 112 pitches.

Though they want him to be cautious, the Nationals aren't explicitly instructing Scherzer to stop sprinting altogether.

"We can tell Max a lot of things," Martinez said with a laugh. "As you all know, he's very competitive. It's part of his routine. Hopefully, he tones it down a little bit. We have to remind him that he's not a base-stealer. Just go out there and get ready to pitch. We need him every five days. Hopefully, he learned and he can tone it down a little bit."

If everything goes according to plan, the Nationals will finally have their full rotation intact heading into their first road trip of the season.

Stephen Strasburg is slated to make his delayed season debut in Sunday's home finale against the Orioles. Patrick Corbin is lined up to start Monday night's road opener against the Mets, with Scherzer, Aníbal Sánchez and Austin Voth to follow.