Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer is taken out of Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays by Texas Manager Bruce Bochy. Scherzer has a straight muscle in his shoulder and isn’t expected to pitch again this season. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP
TORONTO — Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer will miss the rest of the regular season because of a strained muscle in his shoulder, the team announced Wednesday.
Rangers General Manager Chris Young said an MRI on Wednesday revealed a low-grade strain of the teres major muscle that won’t require surgery. That came a day after Scherzer departed his start at Toronto in the sixth inning.
Young said team physician Dr. Keith Meister is confident that the injury will fully heal. The GM said the shoulder just needs rest, but there are only 2½ weeks left in the regular season as the Rangers try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“I don’t want to rule (out the playoffs) at this point. We’ll see where the next two weeks go and how he’s feeling. That said, it’s probably unlikely.”
Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who Texas acquired from the New York Mets at the trade deadline, is 11-6 with a 3.77 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 27 starts this season.
ANGELS: Shohei Ohtani was out of the lineup for his 10th straight game Wednesday because of a strained right oblique.
Ohtani got hurt during batting practice prior to a Sept. 4 game against Baltimore.
The AL MVP front-runner’s pitching season ended last month because of a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, but he continued to serve as the designated hitter before his oblique injury. He’s batting .304 with an AL-best 44 home runs, 95 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
TWINS: Minnesota is still planning on the oft-injured Byron Buxton playing again this season despite persistent knee problems, head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta said.
Buxton received a cortisone injection Sunday in his troublesome right knee to treat a new bout of inflammation and irritation just below his kneecap that halted his Triple-A rehab assignment. The Twins have been trying to reintegrate him to center field duty after limiting him to designated hitter all season.
NATIONALS: Washington announced a multiyear extension with Mike Rizzo, the team’s longtime president of baseball operations and general manager.
The deal comes with Rizzo – who put together the roster that won the 2019 World Series – overseeing a top-to-bottom rebuild that he believes is nearing completion.
Details were not released, but the 62-year-old Rizzo said he plans to remain in Washington for “a long, long time.”
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
BRAVES 4, PHILLIES 1: Atlanta clinched its sixth straight NL East title, as Spencer Strider earned his major league-leading 17th win and Austin Riley hit a two-run homer, in Philadelphia.
Strider (17-5) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings. He struck out nine to boost his MLB-best total to 259.
RAYS 5, TWINS 4: Randy Arozarena hit a tiebreaking home run for Tampa Bay with two outs in the ninth inning, helping the Rays win in Minneapolis.
The Rays (90-57), who trail the Orioles by two games in the AL East, reached 90 wins for the ninth time in their last 15 full seasons. Tampa Bay starts a four-game series Thursday at Baltimore.
CARDINALS 1, ORIOLES 0: Richie Palacios homered, rookie Drew Rom and four relievers combined on a three-hitter, and St. Louis won at Baltimore.
RANGERS 10, BLUE JAYS 0: Jordan Montgomery and two relievers combined on a five-hitter, Nathaniel Lowe and Mitch Garver each hit a three-run home run, and Texas won at Toronto to move 1 1/2 games ahead of the slumping Blue Jays in the AL wild-card race.
MARINERS 3, ANGELS 2: Julio Rodríguez hit a run-scoring double and later scored the tiebreaking run after drawing an intentional walk, leading Seattle to a win at home.
ASTROS 6, ATHLETICS 2: Hunter Brown and four relievers held Oakland hitless unless Ryan Noda’s one-out single in the ninth inning as Houston won at home, handing the Athletics their 100th loss of the season.
GIANTS 6, GUARDIANS 5: LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning as San Francisco rallied past visiting Cleveland.
ROCKIES 7, CUBS 3: Kris Bryant went deep for the second straight game – one of four home runs by Colorado – as the Rockies took two of three at home from the playoff-contending Cubs.
Nolan Jones and Elehuris Montero each hit a two-run homer in a four-run fifth, and Ryan McMahon homered and finished with three hits.
REDS 4, TIGERS 3: TJ Friedl hit a two-run triple in the second inning and seven Cincinnati relievers combined on five shutout innings as the Reds won at Detroit.
The Reds (76-71) are tied with Arizona for the final NL wild card.
METS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 1: Arizona ace Zac Gallen was hit hard in a damaging loss for the Diamondbacks as Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos powered New York to a victory at home.
PIRATES 7, NATIONALS 6: Bryan Reynolds hit his 21st homer and singled twice to help Pittsburgh beat visiting Washington.
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