Scherzer's ugly start only adds to Blue Jays' playoff rotation questions

KANSAS CITY -- Max Scherzer took the mound Friday night with an opportunity to pitch the Blue Jays into the postseason against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, but it all unraveled in an instant.

The 473rd start of Scherzer’s MLB career was a candidate for his worst. The future Hall of Famer lasted just two-thirds of an inning, the shortest start of his career -- excluding an injury-shortened start in 2021 -- and allowed seven runs, tied for the most he’s given up in a single inning over his 18-year career.

The 20-1 loss was about as far from a clinch celebration as it gets. By the time it all ended, Scherzer had been rocked, manager John Schneider had joined pitching coach Pete Walker with an ejection of his own and José Berríos was warming up in the bullpen while backup catcher Tyler Heineman warmed up to pitch the seventh.

“Everything that could go wrong went wrong. I took a haymaker to the face,” Scherzer said. "I made some pitches and they got hits on them. Nothing you can do in those situations. I just got beat in all facets of the game.”

The Blue Jays’ (89-65) postseason fate is still fully in their own hands -- both to clinch as early as Saturday and to win the American League East at some point next week -- but the home stretch of the season should be used to peak at the right time. Instead, the Blue Jays came out of Friday night with some question marks they didn’t want to deal with.

The Royals were on top of Scherzer immediately, but the big blow came from Salvador Perez, who made it 5-0 with a three-run shot to right-center field. Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker had just been out to visit with Scherzer, a move that already drew jeers from the Royals’ fans before Scherzer had recorded an out. By the time home-plate umpire James Jean came out to break up the chat, Walker told Jean exactly how he felt about his strike zone. Walker was ejected, and two pitches later, Perez took Scherzer deep.

By the time Scherzer had allowed another two-run home run to Michael Massey and jacked his pitch count up to 45, an alarming number for a single inning, it was over.

“Today was a weird outing for him. You never expect Max to not get through the first inning,” Schneider said. “You want to see a little bit better location. You want to see a little more stuff on the breaking ball. He hung a curveball for the homer and Salvy’s a good hitter. They came out really hot. I’m confident and really think he’ll get back to who he is.”

Scherzer’s ERA is 5.06 now. He’s allowed 18 home runs in 80 innings, and while the 41-year-old looked like a surefire postseason starter a month ago, that momentum has waned. Over Scherzer’s past five starts, he’s posted a 9.45 ERA with seven home runs over 20 innings.

“You’re never as good as you think you are and you’re never as bad as you think you are,” Scherzer said. “This start doesn’t make me think that all of the sudden I’m the worst pitcher in the world. No. Things happen. I’ve got to turn the page and move on.”

It’s all about the postseason now, even on the ugly days. Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber feel locked in as the No. 1 and No. 2 starters for the ALDS, which is where the Blue Jays are likely headed. But what about Games 3 and 4?

Rookie sensation Trey Yesavage is two strong starts away from earning one of those jobs, completing his meteoric rise from Single-A in one season, but the fourth spot is wide open. Coming off Scherzer’s performance Friday, Toronto is no closer to an answer. Frankly, it might be further away.

Scherzer’s reputation and experience still hold incredible value, whether he’s starting or pitching in a hybrid role out of the bullpen come October, and we’ll have a chance to see both him and Chris Bassitt again down the stretch. Berríos is clearly the odd man out, but it was surprising to see him down pacing the Blue Jays’ bullpen already. That’s where he’ll stay for now, a brand new role for ‘La Makina’, the man who never misses a start.

These are strange days for the Blue Jays. Friday, in every way, was a strange night for Max Scherzer. There’s not much room for that in October, though, and the Blue Jays have eight games left to shake off the strange.