BALTIMORE (AP) — If Max Scherzer is going to pitch in this postseason, he'll have to hope the Texas Rangers advance at least one more round.
Scherzer was left off the AL Division Series roster for Texas on Saturday. The three-time Cy Young Award winner hasn't pitched since Sept. 12 because of shoulder problems, and now he won't be available in this matchup with Baltimore.
The Orioles had a big omission of their own before Game 1 on Saturday. Left-hander John Means was left off their roster because of elbow soreness.
Scherzer faced hitters on Friday in a workout the day before Game 1, but he said afterword he'd need to see how his body recovers. The Rangers acquired him in a trade at this year's deadline from the New York Mets.
“He threw yesterday, and he threw well,” manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday. “Today he got up and felt pretty good. Still, we didn't feel like we had enough information where we could put him on the roster right now. He was not going to be available the first two games.”
Means returned from Tommy John surgery late this season and went 1-2 with a 2.66 ERA in four starts for the Orioles. Baltimore picked Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez to start the first two games of this series at home. Manager Brandon Hyde said he has a pitching plan for when the series moves to Texas but wasn't ready to disclose it.
Dean Kremer and Kyle Gibson are the other likely candidates to start in the series for the Orioles.
“We feel great about our starting pitching depth, and Dean and Kyle Gibson both threw the ball extremely well this year,” Hyde said. “We’re hoping that John can take a few days off, rehab, and hopefully if we can advance that he’ll be available for the next series.”
The Orioles put 12 pitchers on their roster while the Rangers took 13. Texas made only one change from the roster that beat Tampa Bay in the Wild Card Series, adding left-hander Cody Bradford in place of right-hander Grant Anderson.
Baltimore included rookie outfielder Heston Kjerstad on its roster instead of Ryan McKenna, and added right-handed reliever Bryan Baker instead of Mike Baumann or Shintaro Fujinami. Baker spent most of the past two months in the minor leagues.
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