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WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals are certainly thankful they have Max Scherzer, who will start on Saturday night against the Philadelphia Phillies.Starter Stephen Strasburg was pulled after 42 pitches on Wednesday and has a flexor mass strain.Another right-handed starter, Joe Ross, who made his big league debut in June, 2015, has been on the disabled list since July.If the Nationals make the playoffs Scherzer will certainly pitch the first game and the Nationals will most likely need to ride him a long way in October, especially if Strasburg does not return.You dont have to be big. You have to be flexible, Washington manager Dusty Baker said of Scherzer. Some guys are just blessed with that.Baker pointed to Nolan Ryan, who pitched into his 40s and had a good work ethic -- just like Scherzer.Nolan Ryan worked his butt off, Ryan said.The same can be said of Scherzer, who was signed by the Nationals prior to the 2015 season.His legs are good and his mind is strong, said Baker, in his first year with the Nationals.Baker has asked Scherzer to let rookie pitcher Lucas Giolito follow him around and pick his brain before games.Some of the Phillies have had little success against Scherzer, who threw two no-hitters last season.Ryan Howard is hitting .100 in 20 at-bats against Scherzer although Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said it is unlikely Howard starts Saturday.Maikel Franco (wrist), who did not start for the third day in a row Friday, is hitting .067 in 15 trips to the plate against Scherzer while Freddy Galvis is hitting .182 in 25 at-bats.Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said after Fridays game that he hopes Franco can play Saturday.Cesar Hernandez is hitting .238 in 21 at-bats against Scherzer, a native of St. Louis who won a Cy Young Award with the Detroit Tigers.The Phillies starter on Saturday will be Jerad Eickoff, who was one of three pitchers the Texas Rangers traded to Philadelphia in July, 2015 for veteran lefty Cole Hamels.Eickoff is 10-13, 3.86 this year in 28 starts and has 138 strikeouts while giving up 166 hits in 167 2/3 innings. He has won five of his last six starts.He is 0-1, 4.50 against the Nationals this year and 1-1, 3.46 in two starts in his career against Washington.Eickoff has held Daniel Murphy in check with one hit in nine at-bats. Bryce Harper has just one hit in six trips against him.He won his 10th game on Monday as he beat the Miami Marlins 6-2.Anytime you get double-digit wins, its a huge testament to what we as pitchers try to do, Eickhoff told reporters after that game. Jerseys NFL Cheap Authentic . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Cheap Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys Wholesale . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. http://www.baseballjerseyscheap.com/ . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Cheap Jerseys China Store . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. Wholesale MLB Jerseys . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. Jarryd Haynes struggles have been welcomed by his Gold Coast teammates who have tipped him to return serve against his critics in Fridays NRL elimination final against Brisbane.Haynes return to rugby league was one of the most hyped stories of the year, however he has not yet been able to recapture his brilliant best after 18 months out of the game spent playing in the NFL and Rugby Sevens.The man himself and Titans coach Neil Henry had warned it would take Hayne time to warm to the task.While a deciding field goal against Wests Tigers in round 23 demonstrated Haynes match-winning capabilities, the two-time Dally M medal winner has been quiet since.The Titans are 3-2 with him in the team and he has been credited with just two try assists, run for over 100m twice and made one linebreak in his five games back.Last weekend he had his quietest performance in a Titans jumpper, making 57m while letting his frustrations show as he was marched 10m by the referees for backchat.ddddddddddddm glad that he had the game that he did last week, Titans co-captain Nathan Friend said.Hes more experienced than all of us at adversity and he will rise to the occasion. I think he likes the big stage and weve seen him rise under pressure before, I dare say hell do it again.While Hayne has been hailed as the Gold Coasts x-factor, Friend said they had more strings to their bow than just their No.1.I dont think it will come down to Jarryds brilliance, Friend said.Weve performed well all year as a team and one mans not going to win us a semi.If we perform well and he performs well and scores a couple of tries, then itd be great. ' ' '