Mad Max dials it in at crucial time as Blue Jays even series 

TORONTO -- Take in the beauty of a low-scoring win.

The Blue Jays needed one of those, a game with no crooked numbers built on their style of baseball. They got it on Saturday afternoon, riding a second straight quality start from Max Scherzer to a 4-2 victory over the Royals at Rogers Centre.

It wasn’t a smooth one, but Scherzer got it done, weathering an in-game catcher swap and making quality pitches in key moments. His team was longing for stability after allowing 57 runs over the past six games. Scherzer provided it for as long as he could.

“When you get the level of competitiveness and experience and stuff -- his stuff is kind of back to where it should be -- he can be a difference-maker down the stretch,” said manager John Schneider. “It's been trending in the right direction for a while, and back-to-back good starts is really good for us.”

This time, Scherzer got to be the stopper. The Blue Jays’ rotation looked phenomenal out of the All-Star break until that four-game series in Baltimore to close out July. Then the floodgates opened, and someone had to step up. That’s a good time to turn to a likely future Hall of Famer.

Scherzer looked in control -- even when he got thrown for a loop.

One of the most methodical starters in the game, Scherzer had to adjust on the fly when Tyler Heineman left the game in the top of the fourth with a head contusion after taking a foul tip to the facemask in the second inning. In came Ali Sánchez, who hadn’t worked with Scherzer since Spring Training.

“It definitely throws you a curveball when that happens,” said Scherzer. “… I haven’t worked with Ali at all, so we tried to get on the same page.”

As soon as it was clear Heineman couldn’t stay in the game, Scherzer huddled up with Sánchez in the tunnel, working to share as much information as possible before they had to go back out. Still, there’s no way to convey “nuances” of a game, as Scherzer put it. You have to go out there and feel it.

Sánchez caught up quickly, and the newly formed battery continued to put zeros on the board. Over six innings, Scherzer struck out five on five hits and no walks, surrendering just one earned run on a Salvador Perez solo homer in the sixth.

He only needed 84 pitches to do it, proving that he can be a steady hand when the Blue Jays need it most. Then the steadiness gave way to fatigue, a reminder that the 41-year-old Scherzer is still working through some limitations.

“I'm getting better,” said Scherzer. “My thumb is doing better. I'm doing a good job managing it. But today in the sixth inning, that's the thing that gassed out on me. It's not my shoulder, not my elbow, not my back. My hand was very fatigued today, so that's why I exited after six and didn’t try to go out for the seventh.”

Both pitcher and ballclub knew this would be a factor throughout the season. Still, Scherzer’s recent dominance is a great illustration of why it was always worth the risk.

Saturday’s win came after a seven-inning outing in Detroit in which Scherzer struck out 11 batters and threw 96 pitches. The velocity has been steady, and the stuff is playing as well as you could expect.

Things have trended in the right direction since Scherzer came off the IL to start a late-June road game against the Guardians. Maybe the questions about pitch count and injuries will follow Scherzer from now until October, but he’s ready to keep working through it.

“This is never gonna go away; it's just something I gotta manage,” said Scherzer. “And right now, I’m managing it pretty well."

He’s doing it in Mad Max fashion, too, finding a balance between the competitive drive of a future Hall of Famer and the understanding that he needs to be healthy for October baseball.

Don’t expect excuses or free passes, though. Scherzer has been back in the rotation since June 25. He wants you to remember that.

“As soon as I stepped on a big league mound, I've had expectations for myself,” said Scherzer. “I expect to win, so there's no build-up here. This is the big leagues. We’re in a pennant race here. We're in a division race. There's no room for feel-good losses. This is about winning. So ever since I pitched in Cleveland, I've only come here to win. Judge me from when I pitched in Cleveland.”