Rangers' Max Scherzer Says He Avoided 'Dangerous Position' in Exiting with Arm Injury

Texas Rangers starter Max Scherzer left his Friday start after six innings and 88 pitches with tightness in his forearm, though he told reporters after the game it was mostly a precautionary decision.

"There in the sixth inning, I could tell my location was starting to get off," he said. "Now I can tell that I was kind of at my limit, even though my shoulder was good, my arm's good. I didn't go out there and put myself in a dangerous position. I was not going to go out there and hurt myself. You come up with a forearm strain now, you're done for the year. So that's where you've got to be smart and take a blow when you need it."

Scherzer, 39, gave up just one hit and two walks while striking out seven in the contest, another strong outing for the veteran ace.

He's looked like a different player since being traded to Texas:

• Scherzer in 2023 with the New York Mets: 9-4 in 19 starts with a 4.01 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 107.1 innings.
• Scherzer in 2023 with the Rangers: 3-1 in six starts with a 2.21 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. 

The Rangers, however, lost his latest outing, 5-1 against the Minnesota Twins, the team's 11th defeat in its past 14 games. The bullpen gave up all five runs.

"He got us where we needed, had a lead there," manager Bruce Bochy told reporters after the loss. "Unfortunately, the 'pen struggled again."

That has dropped Texas to 75-59 on the year, a game back of both the Seattle Mariners (76-58) and Houston Astros (77-59) in the AL West. The Rangers find themselves currently in the final American League Wild Card position, just 1.5 games ahead of the dangerous Toronto Blue Jays.

So the Rangers have a crucial September ahead of them, and keeping Scherzer healthy and available to pitch every five days is paramount.

"You look across the league, and there's forearm strains and Tommy Johns everywhere," Scherzer told reporters. "I have little forearm tightness right now. I'm not going to let that turn into a forearm strain or Tommy John."