Scherzer says he'll be ready for possible G7

ATLANTA -- After throwing 79 pitches in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the Braves on Sunday, just three days after earning the save in Game 5 of the NL Division Series against the Giants, Dodgers right-hander Max Scherzer said he was dealing with a “dead arm,” an ailment that is purely a result of fatigue.

Initially, Scherzer believed he would be ready to make his next start, but his right arm didn’t bounce back nearly as quickly as he hoped. The Dodgers were forced to scratch Scherzer from his Game 6 start at Truist Park on Saturday night, handing the ball to Walker Buehler on short rest for the second time this postseason with their season on the line.

“My arm has been locked up the last couple of days,” Scherzer said. “I’m not dealing with a sprain, I’m not dealing with a strain, I’m dealing with muscle fatigue. This is a work capacity issue, and I’m just trying to work through it.”

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From his experience, Scherzer thought he would need only about two days to have his arm back at full strength. But after nearly four days, the soreness had not fully gone away. The good news was that Scherzer said he felt like he turned a corner Friday and had another good throwing session Saturday.

If the Dodgers are able to force a Game 7 on Sunday, Scherzer believes he’ll be able to take the mound, though he admitted he doesn’t know how long he would be able to go. Manager Dave Roberts also confirmed that Los Angeles is “very, very confident” that Scherzer would be able to make the start.

“Today, with the way he threw the baseball ... it gave us a lot of confidence that he can make the start tomorrow,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers were made aware a few days ago that Scherzer might not be able to make his next scheduled start. On Friday, Scherzer and Buehler played catch at the same time at Dodger Stadium before taking off for Atlanta. After the session, Scherzer, Buehler and pitching coach Mark Prior concluded that starting Buehler on short rest and giving Scherzer another day of rest gave Los Angeles the best chance to win.

“We all saw it together, that Walker was our best option to pitch Game 6, and I’ll give you whatever I got for Game 7,” Scherzer said.

Scherzer, who has already made four appearances and tossed 16 2/3 innings this postseason, said he has been replaying different scenarios in his head, but he doesn’t regret volunteering to pitch in relief in Game 5 of the NLDS or making his Game 2 start against the Braves, two situations that played a role in his fatigue. Scherzer said pushing back his NLCS start to Game 3 was never on the table because he felt his arm was in a good spot as he warmed up.

Scherzer does, however, understand that getting scratched to pitch in Game 6 puts the Dodgers in a much more difficult situation as they try to erase a 3-1 NLCS deficit against the Braves for a second consecutive postseason.

“I do take responsibility for obviously not making this mark,” Scherzer said. “I’ve been very good at being able to make the marks and knowing my body and knowing how to recover. Unfortunately, I overcooked my arm on this one, and I’m trying to replay every variable in my head right now to try and understand why I’m in this position.”