Before he landed on the Injured List with what was eventually diagnosed as scapulothoracic bursitis, which cropped up after a June 30th outing in Detroit and then lingered through the All-Star Break and into the start of the second-half, Max Scherzer was on a roll, with a nine-start unbeaten streak going, over which he posted a 0.84 ERA, nine walks (1.27 BB/9), 94 Ks (13.21 K/9), and a stingy .172/.213/.263 line against in 64 innings pitched.
Scherzer was frustrated he had to miss a couple turns in the rotation, but Washington’s GM Mike Rizzo and Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez were clear throughout the process that it was a matter of waiting until their 34-year-old ace was 100% before letting him get back on the mound in a bullpen session, let alone a big-league start.