WASHINGTON — As Max Scherzer made his way to Nationals Park, he knew the neck and back issue that has pained him for the last few days wouldn't let him take the ball in Game 5 of the World Series.
So he sent fellow teammate pitcher Joe Ross a text letting Ross know he'd be the one starting opposite the Houston Astros' Gerrit Cole on Sunday.
Losing an ace for into the most pivotal game of the series is a blow the Nationals will have to handle if they want to take a 3-2 lead back to Houston and not find themselves in a hole after winning the first two games on the Astros' turf. That task will begin with Ross, who Nationals manager Dave Martinez said will go as long as he can.
In 2011, Ross was a first-round pick by the San Diego Padres out of Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California. Three years later, the Padres included the 26-year-old as part of a three-team deal with Washington and the Tampa Bay Rays, the same trade that sent shortstop Trea Turner to the Nationals.
Ross was once thought to be a key part of the Nationals' future rotation. He debuted in 2015, posting a 3.54 ERA in 16 games and then a 3.43 mark in 19 starts in 2016. But Ross underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2017 and missed 14 months before returning to make three starts in September 2018.
Ross started this season in the bullpen and bounced back and forth between the majors and Class AAA, but found a groove in the rotation in August. In eight starts down the stretch, Ross had a 2.75 ERA and allowed just two home runs across 39 ⅓ innings.
In Game 3 of the World Series, his first postseason outing since 2016, Ross delivered two scoreless frames and allowed one baserunner.
"Watching Joe Ross pitch the other night, I thought he looked extremely polished in what he was able to do," Scherzer said before Sunday's game.
"In our clubhouse we just believe the next guy up can always get the job done. Right now it's come down to Joe."
Sports - Latest - Google News
October 27, 2019 at 04:50PM
https://ift.tt/2MQ7llw
Meet Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross, who is replacing Max Scherzer in Game 5 of World Series - USA TODAY
Sports - Latest - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Mbsnt7
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
No comments:
Post a Comment