Mad About Max

For a run of six seasons from 2011 until 2016, Madison Bumgarner was a “horse” pitching over 200 innings each year. It culminated in 2016 when he was a key cog in winning the Giants third World Series in six years. In that 2016 season, MadBum pitched 226.2 innings during the regular season and an additional 14 innings in the postseason. When MadBum started that great run he was 21 years old and in 2016 he was 26 years. He has never been the same since.

Clayton Kershaw had a run about the same time where he missed 200 innings by 2 innings once or he would have had six consecutive seasons of 200 plus innings as well. Clayton has almost another full season stuffed into his career with 189 innings pitched during the playoffs. Clayton was also in his twenties when he did that.

Max Scherzer is a little different cat. He also had a run of six straight seasons with 200+ innings pitched, but he started later. Those six seasons were between the age of 28 and 33. Max has also pitched 128 innings in the postseason. Surprisingly, MadBum has just 102 innings pitched in the postseason.

We are discussing this because it appears that 37-years-old Max Scherzer is not going to be able to make his scheduled start today, due to continued “arm soreness” and of course, true to form, someone has to be blamed and that person is Dave Roberts. One fan commented: “Now they ruined Max Scherzer doing the same nonsense [as they did with Urias].”

For the record, I was not in favor of using Urias in relief, but I thought Scherzer coming in and closing out the game was fine… even necessary. Pitchers throw side sessions of 30 to 40 pitches between starts, and both Scherzer and Urias skipped their side sessions (with their blessing at managements’ behest) and respectively threw 13 and 14 pitches in a game. If 13 pitches “ruined” Max Scherzer then his arm is holding on by a thread and that in itself is reason enough not to sign him this offseason.

I believe that anything a pitcher does has an “effect” on their pitching, but I do not believe that 13 or 14 pitches in a game, while not throwing a side session can have a major impact on their performance. If anything, I believe it would be more mental than physical. But, many fans want to “blame” someone and Dave Roberts is their favorite. The fact of the matter is that Max Scherzer has been struggling his past several starts, On September 23rd, he went 5 innings and allowed 6 hits and 5 runs, and then six days later pitched 5.1 innings allowing 11 hits and 6 runs. In the playoffs, he has appeared to be solid at times, but not dominant. He hasn’t looked like Mad Max of old, except maybe during his 13 pitch relief stint.

Max Scherzer is 37 years old. He will be 38 next season. The odds are he will need Tommy John Surgery much like Justin Verlander did a couple of years ago and will miss a large part of two seasons. Pitchers in their mid to late thirties just start breaking down, which is why I would not re-sign Max Scherzer after this season unless it is on a sweet one or two-year deal. No Way. No How!

But, here we are today. If Scherzer can’t go, and it doesn’t appear he can, what do you do? Justin Bruihl also has a sore arm, so I would guess that Mitch White or Andre Jackson would get the call unless they want another LH which could be V-Gon, but I have no idea of his status and health. The Dodgers could rely on another “broken-down” mid-30’s pitcher, David Price to be an “opener” and see how many innings he can go – two would be amazing, three would be miraculous! However, if Striker Buehler is up to it, he should start today, because if you don’t win today, there is no tomorrow. Striker can cement his legend as a “big game pitcher” today. Let him go as far as he can… hopefully seven or eight innings and save the pen for tomorrow. Maybe Max can pitch 2 or 3 innings on Sunday. Maybe Julio as well.

Dodgerpatch articulated the winning formula for the Dodgers to win the NLCS:

In my opinion, it is absolutely essential that the Dodgers score more runs than the Braves if they have any hopes of winning. … but this is just my opinion.

Brilliant! That captures all the nuance. Jayne Cobb also summed up very succinctly how I also feel:

AF and Roberts had a plan for the playoffs. And it’s not the same plan as during the season. They are doing things they would never do during the regular season. As they should. They know what they are doing. That doesn’t mean it always works. Had it not been for that low-pressure system off the coast of CA, Gavin Lux would have walked off that game against the Giants. All the effort, planning, training, strategizing, adjusting and executing go to shit with a single gust of wind. Over 162 games, wind is not an issue. But in one, it determines the outcome. That’s the playoffs. Roberts is executing the plan. It’s the fans who are overanalyzing everything. This is baseball.

Well said.

Injuries have taken their toll, and still are, but it is