Rocky return for Mets' Max Scherzer raises suspicion

New York Mets co-ace Max Scherzer left multiple questions unanswered via his return from a 10-game suspension related to the use of foreign substances. 

Scherzer surrendered eight hits and six earned runs across just 3.1 innings of work before he was chased out of what became Wednesday's 8-1 loss at the lowly Detroit Tigers. As shared by Mike Puma of the New York Post, other data from Scherzer's outing is bound to raise eyebrows and also suspicion regarding what the three-time Cy Young Award winner was or wasn't doing earlier this season. 

"Scherzer’s spin rates were down, especially with his curveball and cutter," Puma wrote. "According to Statcast, his four-seam fastball was down 107 revolutions per minute compared to his average this season. His curveball was down 218 rpms and his cutter 222 rpms." 

Scherzer, who has expressed concerns about the pitch clock potentially causing injuries to pitchers, did say after Wednesday's start that his velocity was decreased against Detroit in part because he's still working to return to full fitness coming off the soreness in his back and side that he experienced last month.

"Scherzer averaged 92.7 mph with his four-seam fastball," Puma explained. "He normally averages 93.2 mph with that pitch."

Scherzer has repeatedly insisted his hands were "sticky" during the April 19 start at the Los Angeles Dodgers because of a combination of sweat and league-approved rosin. Umpires for that game said that Scherzer's hand "was far stickier than anything that we felt certainly today and anything this year." 

Per Ryan Chichester of Audacy, Scherzer admitted after Wednesday's loss that getting his fastball back to "sitting 94" is a top priority. 

"To me, that's more of the issue when I'm averaging 92.5 mph," the 38-year-old said. "I'm down a tick and a half. You gotta figure out what's going on. To me, that’s the bigger issue."

Scherzer is now 2-2 with a 5.56 ERA across five starts this season. If he doesn't soon improve those numbers, many will wonder if he's either showing his age or if he truly was bending certain MLB rules up through the first few weeks of the ongoing campaign.