Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Mad Max

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The Nationals had plenty of drama in their dugout on Sunday. On Monday Max Scherzer was intent on redirecting that drama toward the field.

Having already thrown a no-hitter and narrowly missing a perfect game earlier this season, Scherzer flirted with another no-no Monday against the Reds. The right-hander made it through one out in the eighth inning without having allowed a base hit before Tucker Barnhart (of all people) laced a clean single to left field to break things up.

Scherzer wound up allowing a run in the frame after a failed double play as a result of a poor tag attempt by Trea Turner extended the inning. Overall, he yielded two hits and three walks while recording 10 strikeouts on the day. Astoundingly, it was Scherzer’s first victory at Nationals Park since his no-hitter versus the Pirates back on June 20.

Scherzer has been victimized by the longball a little more than you’d like this season, serving up 27 bombs after allowing just 18 each of the previous two seasons. Seventeen of those dingers have come in the second half, which has led to a pedestrian 4.11 ERA since the All-Star break. However, he also boasts a 109/20 K/BB ratio across 87 2/3 second-half frames and his stuff looks as good as ever.

At least for the first season, the Nationals’ mammoth investment in Scherzer has paid off, as he has put up a 2.91 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 259 strikeouts over 219 2/3 innings. If not for some guys named Arrieta, Greinke and Kershaw, he’d be a legit National League Cy Young contender.

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Piscotty Involved in Scary Collision

The Cardinals and Pirates were playing a hugely important game with playoff implications on Monday night, but for a while during the contest the result didn’t seem to matter.

Stephen Piscotty looked to be seriously injured in the seventh inning when he collided with Peter Bourjos in left-center field at PNC Park. Bourjos managed to catch the ball as the two met, but his knee drilled Piscotty’s head and it appeared to initially knock the outfielder unconscious. The Cards rookie was stabilized on a stretcher and carted off the field, giving the crowd a wave as he left.

The good news is that, despite how scary the incident looked, early signs for Piscotty appear to be positive. Manager Mike Matheny said that all initial scans of the outfielder came back negative.

“The information we got, scans all came back negative,” Matheny said. “Looks like he’s going to be pretty sore. They’re going to keep him overnight and just monitor him, but as good an initial response as we could get.”

It’s unclear whether Matheny is including concussion tests in his update on Piscotty, so it’s possible he’ll still have to pass those before being cleared to return to action. So far, though, the news certainly looks encouraging. Piscotty has looked at home in the majors since being promoted in late July, batting .310/.365/.502 with seven home runs and 39 RBI over 62 contests.

St. Louis got some other injury news Monday regarding their Gold Glove catcher, as Yadier Molina had a checkup on his ailing left thumb and was told by the doctor that he needed another week of rest. That rules the catcher out through at least the end of the regular season, and he’ll be re-evaluated on Sunday or Monday to see how much progress he’s made by then. It’s not a given that Molina will be ready for the beginning of the postseason.

“Obviously, we were hoping for better news,” general manager John Mozeliak said. “But in the scheme of things, we’re just going to have to remain patient. Depending on where we end up in October could dictate whether there is still a possibility. He’s making a progression, but it’s a severe injury. Trying to have it be turned around in a less-than-required time is tough.”

The Cards have indicated that Molina shouldn’t have issues defensively, but the biggest worry is whether he’ll be able to properly grip a bat. In the meantime, Tony Cruz will continue to handle the catching duties.

Carter Stays Hot

You know what you’re going to get with Chris Carter at this point. He’s going to strike out a ton and look lost at the plate often, but when he’s hot, his home runs come in droves.

Well, he’s scorching hot now at a time when the Astros desperately need him.

Carter drilled a moonshot over the left field fence to break a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning of Monday’s win over the Mariners. He also drew a walk on the night, reaching base in two of three plate appearances. In addition to Carter, George Springer and Evan Gattis also pounded out solo blasts and that’s all the Astros needed.

Carter has gone deep in each of the Astros’ last three games, and they’ve all given the club the lead or proved to be the winning run. He has totaled five dingers over his last seven contests to push his season total up to 23.

With a batting line of .196/.308/.422 and 143 strikeouts across 124 games, Carter is obviously not a safe bet in real life or in fantasy. However, if you’re looking for a power boost down the stretch and he’s still on your waiver wire, he’s certainly worth the gamble.

National League Quick Hits: Jonathan Papelbon is done for the season after dropping his three-game suspension appeal and receiving a four-game suspension from the Nationals for his altercation with Bryce Harper … Howie Kendrick is still feeling tightness in his left hamstring and his playing time will be limited this week … Adam Wainwright (Achilles) threw another simulated game Monday and is expected to be available out of the bullpen as soon as Wednesday … Kyle Hendricks tossed six innings of shutout ball but got a no-decision Monday against the Royals … J.A. Happ threw just 56 pitches over six shutout frames in Monday’s loss to the Cardinals … Ryan Braun will undergo back surgery early next month … Chris Denorfia smacked a walk-off solo home run in the 11th inning of Monday’s win over the Royals … Mark Reynolds hit a two-run home run in his only at-bat in Monday’s victory over the Pirates … Lance Lynn spun five shutout innings against the Pirates … The Dodgers activated Enrique Hernandez from the disabled list …

American League Quick Hits: Troy Tulowitzki (shoulder) said Monday that he’ll “definitely” be ready for the postseason … Masahiro Tanaka (hamstring) will return to the Yankees’ rotation Wednesday against the Red Sox … Adam Jones sat out Monday’s game with a nagging back issue … Sonny Gray (hip) has officially been ruled out for the season … Prince Fielder went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, a solo home run and a two-run single in Monday’s loss to the Tigers … Yordano Ventura tossed seven shutout innings but was saddled with a no-decision in Monday’s loss to the Cubs … Justin Verlander kept humming along with six frames of one-run ball versus the Rangers … The Tigers will limit Miguel Cabrera’s playing time this week … The Mariners will limit the playing time of Nelson Cruz (quad) and Robinson Cano (abdomen) this week … Victor Martinez departed Monday’s game versus the Rangers with left quad soreness and had been slated to see limited playing time this week, anyway … Travis Shaw went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday’s win over the Yankees … The Angels signed Mat Latos Monday as they look to replenish an injury-riddled pitching staff … James Paxton (finger) won’t make his scheduled start Wednesday …

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