Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Max Scherzer Has an Odd Relationship with His Hitless Streak this Season

Zero hits in 52 at-bats. The man they call Mad Max has struggled with the bat in 2021. And that’s to say the least. 

Max Scherzer went 0-35 with the Washington Nationals before coming to Los Angeles and adding an 0-17 with the Dodgers to his batting line. A career .171 hitter over his 14-year career, the right-hander isn’t letting his “0-for” get to him just yet.



“It’d be really easy for me to get mad, upset about this, but when I get to the park, I’m here to win. Yeah, it stinks I’m not getting a hit, but, guess what, if the other guys are scoring runs then my job is literally to shut down the other team. We can win ball games. I don’t want to say I’m going to accept it, but I can’t get frustrated by it.”

Don’t let Monday night’s display after Clayton Kershaw got a knock in his first AB since July…

…he’s not actually mad about it. He’s definitely not happy with his performance at the plate, but winning conquers all. 

Scherzer hit a career-high .243 in 2018 with the Nats, narrowly missing out on winning a Silver Slugger award in the National League. Colorado’s German Marquez took home the honor for pitchers.

In 2019, Scherzer hit .182. In 2020, the NL adopted the designated hitter for the pandemic-shortened season and it seems that things have spiraled for him ever since. Max isn’t blaming the lack of swings in 2020 though, he points to a lack of work this spring training.

“I wasn’t able to get in the cage, lost rhythm, and then we’ve been in this free fall ever since. So, it’s unfortunate.”

Thankfully for Max and the Dodgers, he’s cruised when it comes to stats that matter. The future Hall of Famer is 6-0 in his 8 starts with LA (the team has won every start). His 0.88 ERA over 51 innings since coming to the west coast have thrust him to the front of the Cy Young award conversation in the NL.

Just don’t expect that elusive Silver Slugger award in 2021.

NEXT: Chris Taylor IL Decision Should Be Made By Wednesday

Clint Pasillas

Clint Pasillas has been writing, blogging, and podcasting about the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008. Under Clint's leadership as the Lead Editor, Dodgers Nation has grown into one of the most read baseball sites in the world with millions of unique visitors per month. Find him online on Twitter/X or his YouTube channel!

5 Comments

  1. Many years ag Dodger pitcher Preacher Roe was also very well known for his inability to get a hit. The newspapers started to call him a big threat with the bat until he got that one career hit when he came up since no one could go hitless for life

    He even later hit a home run. Anyone recall his 22-3 season? Can Urias tie that won-loss record this season?

    BTW, who will get a hit first next, Bellinger or Scherzer? It could be a tie with both going “ofer” for the rest of the season

  2. Still rather see Mad Max at the plate with RISP than Bellinger. At least Max will put it in play.

    1. Unfortunately you are most likely correct rainbirdmuse. Cody’s new approach looks better, but the hits just aren’t coming. Kershaw and Urias both have better plate discipline than Cody.

  3. Our sandwich enthusiast is running low on ammunition with the current winning streak. Picking on a Cy Young winner/candidate for their lack of bat prowess. Go figure Clint. Had it been earlier in the season, Cody should have been sent down to work on some basics, maybe a two strike approach, but it is probably too late for that now and how many MVPs have ever been sent down to the minors?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button