What is Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider’s message to the three-time Cy Young Award-winning ace Max Scherzer?
Schneider spoke about facing Scherzer in an interview ahead of the Blue Jays’ home game against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday (May 13) at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
“I told the guys they’re not facing his name, they’re facing his stuff,” he said, noting that Scherzer is “still a really good player” and that they shouldn’t be intimidated by his name recognition.
Scherzer struggled in his last start against the Houston Astros, giving up seven runs on six hits, three walks, two homers and four strikeouts in three innings, but he is still 3-2 with a 3.63 ERA in seven starts since the trade.
“I still think he’s one of the best pitchers in the game, and he’s chasing Greg Maddux’s strikeout record,” said Schneider, who added that the phrase “facing a pitcher who’s not a name” is “in no way disparaging to Scherzer.” “I think he’s still one of the best pitchers in the game,” he said of his opponent.
“He’s going to know what he’s going to have to do. We have to prepare for the things we have to prepare for. We have to prepare for the things we have to prepare for, and we have to change things up during the game,” he said of his approach to facing a difficult pitcher. 온라인카지노
Toronto will face Scherzer with a lineup of George Springer (right field), Bo Bissett (shortstop), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (designated hitter), Spencer Horwitz (first base), Davis Schneider (second base), Cavan Biggio (third base), Dalton Bashaw (left field), Kevin Kiermaier (center field) and Tyler Heinemann (catcher).
When asked, “Did you think at the end of spring training that you’d be facing Schuerzer this season with Howitz in the fourth, Schneider in the fifth and Biggio in the sixth,” Schneider said, “I wouldn’t call it a plan A. It’s not what we envisioned. It’s not what we envisioned,” he said, admitting that it wasn’t the best batting order.
“These guys are playing well. They’re hitting some really good at-bats,” he said.
Meanwhile, Toronto added Brandon Belt to the disabled list after he left the game the day before with back spasms.
“He felt good the day before, so we put him in the lineup, but he re-aggravated the injury,” Schneider said. He needs time to recover,” Schneider said.
Matt Chapman, who was scratched with a finger injury, is making progress in his rehabilitation. “He’s going to take all of his batting, throwing, and fielding drills today,” Schneider said. He’ll also hit some fastballs in the batting cage. We’ll determine the next step after today’s workout. The goal is to get him back as soon as possible.”