Pacific Coast League: News: Article

04/18/2008 2:10 AM ET

Scherzer still regularly setting them down

Sidewinders ace gets 10 of first 12 River Cats with swinging strikeouts

By Dan Trudeau / Special to MLB.com

Max Scherzer hasn't allowed a run this season, but he hasn't gotten a decision for Tucson yet. (Barbara Jean Germano)

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• Box score
• Max Scherzer's player page
• Audio: Scherzer fans his 11th River Cat

Tucson's Max Scherzer doesn't have anything in the win -- or the loss -- column so far this year. But the strikeout column is something else.

The incendiary right-hander amassed 11 strikeouts over five scoreless innings in his latest no-decision, the River Cats' 4-3 victory over his Sidewinders.

Ten of the first 12 Sacramento outs racked up by the Arizona Diamondbacks' first-round pick in 2006 were swinging strikeouts. He has 29 strikeouts over 17 scoreless innings in his three starts this season.

Scherzer yielded a single to Carlos Gonzalez in the first inning, a walk in the second to Danny Putnam and a ground-ball single to Todd Linden in the fourth. When Clint Goocher entered in relief in the sixth, Scherzer handed him a 3-0 lead.

On April 7, Scherzer went five innings against the heavy-hitting Salt Lake Bees, allowing a pair of hits and walks while fanning five. He gave up three hits without walking a batter and struck out 11 in a seven-inning outing vs. the Fresno Grizzlies on April 12.

The River Cats' offense started coming to life in the sixth. Brooks Conrad doubled and crossed the plate on Carlos Gonzalez's line-drive single. Wes Bankston smacked a two-run homer in the seventh. An inning later, Conrad reached on first baseman Jamie D'Antona's fielding error and scored the go-ahead run on Jeff Baisley's single to right.

Dan Trudeau is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

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