Just hours before first pitch in Game 5 of the tied-up World Series in Washington, D.C., news broke that the highly anticipated duel between Astros ace Gerrit Cole and top Nationals starter Gerrit Cole was not to be. The Nats' No. 1 has had to be scratched from the assignment because of neck spasms, putting swingman Joe Ross on the spot as the man Washington has to entrust with the start against Houston.
In the wake of this surprising development with series-altering implications, we asked our experts on-site about the impact of Scherzer's late scratch.