NEW YORK — Mets pitcher Max Scherzer is expected to be sidelined for 6 to 8 weeks with a strained oblique muscle in his left side, the latest blow to a New York pitching staff already missing ace Jacob deGrom.
Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, had an MRI on Thursday, a day after he pulled himself from a start against the St. Louis Cardinals with a 1-1 count on Albert Pujols in the sixth inning after feeling “a zing” in his left side.
New York said the scan detected a moderate-to-high grade strain.
The 37-year-old right-hander is 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA in eight starts after signing a $130 million, three-year contract with the Mets. An eight-time All-Star, Scherzer has struck out 59 and walked 11 in 49 2/3 innings.
DeGrom has been out since spring training because of a right scapula stress reaction, and he is not likely to pitch for the Mets until late June or July at the earliest. Tylor Megill went on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right biceps inflammation.
David Peterson probably will be called up from Triple-A Syracuse to join a rotation that includes Chris Bassitt (4-2 2.34), Carlos Carrasco (3-1, 3.73) and Taijuan Walker (1-0, 3.52).
PHILLIES: Bryce Harper did not start a fourth straight game on Thursday as he recovers from a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow.
ARBITRATION: Luke Jackson, sidelined for the season by Tommy John surgery, lost his salary arbitration hearing with the Atlanta Braves.
Jackson was awarded the team’s $3.6 million offer rather than his $4 million request by Robert Herzog, Richard Bloch and Scott Buchheit, who heard the case a day earlier.
A 30-year-old right-hander, Jackson had surgery on April 13 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
He earned $1.9 million last year.
GUARDIANS: Third baseman Jose Ramirez will undergo X-rays and other tests on his right shin after being injured during an at-bat in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Ramirez collapsed in pain after fouling a ball off his shin in the eighth inning.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
METS 7, CARDINALS 6: Pete Alonso hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning to beat visiting St. Louis.
Paul Goldschmidt tied the score 5-all with two outs in the ninth off Mets closer Edwin Diaz with his fourth RBI of the game. Albert Pujols hit a run-scoring double play grounder in the 10th of the Cardinals’ first-extra inning game this year.
With the automatic runner on second, Alonso drove the second pitch from Giovanny Gallegos (0-2) into the left-field second deck for his third career game-ending home run. It was the 10th home run of the season for Alonso, who leads the major leagues with 33 RBI.
PADRES 2, PHILLIES 0: Yu Darvish escaped a jam and retired $179 million of offense in Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos in a key spot, pitching seven shutout innings to win at Philadelphia.
The Padres took 2 of 3 from the Phillies and moved 10 games over .500 (24-14).
AMERICAN LEAGUE
WHITE SOX 7, ROYALS 4: Luis Robert homered and drove in four runs as visiting Chicago Sox rallied past Kansas City.
Robert delivered a pair of RBI singles before hitting a two-run homer into the left-field stands in the eighth. His sixth home run of the season capped Chicago’s sixth come-from-behind win.
Pinch-hitter Adam Engel gave the White Sox their first lead with an RBI single in the seventh off Gabe Speier (0-1) that broke a 4-all tie.
Tim Anderson had two hits, two walks and two RBI, recording his 10th multihit outing in his last 18 games.
ORIOLES 9, YANKEES 6: Anthony Santander lined a three-run homer in the ninth inning off Lucas Luetge and host Baltimore avoided a four-game sweep.
New York lost for just the second time in 11 games and is still a major-league best 28-10. The Yankees fell to 18-1 when scoring five runs or more this season.
The Yankees were down to their last out in the ninth when DJ LeMahieu hit an RBI single off closer Jorge Lopez that tied it at 6.
The Orioles answered when Austin Hays reached on a throwing error by third baseman Josh Donaldson, who had pinch hit in the top half of the inning. One out later, Trey Mancini singled and Santander followed with a drive to left field for his seventh homer of the season.
INTERLEAGUE
REDS 4, GUARDIANS 2: Tyler Naquin homered in the fifth inning and scored on Kyle Farmer’s go-ahead single in the eighth, leading visiting Cincinnati to the first series sweep of its Ohio neighbors since 2014.
The Reds won both games in the rain-extended interleague set, and are showing positive signs after starting the season 3-21. They’re 8-5 since May 5.
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