It was vintage Max Scherzer on Wednesday in Buffalo, N.Y.
The three-time Cy Young winner struck out seven batters in five hitless innings for the triple-A Bisons in a rehab start.
Scherzer threw 56 pitches in five innings. The only baserunner he allowed reached on a fielding error by shortstop Josh Kasevich.
It marked Scherzer's first rehab outing since before the all-star break when he received three cortisone shots in his thumb and was forced to miss a scheduled outing.
"This wasn't a taxing outing," Scherzer said to reporters after the game. "Arm felt great. Body felt great. Thumb felt great."
"Velo was holding in the third and fourth innings consistently — that's what gave me the runway to go out for the fifth," Scherzer added.
The 41-year-old was placed on the injured list in June for back spasms but has since been plagued with various injuries, delaying his return to the team.
His last rehab outing was on July 8, also for the Bisons, when he allowed five runs and struck out five in four innings.
He has not pitched in a game for the Blue Jays since June 10. He holds a 10.23 ERA in six starts this season for a Toronto team that has been struggling with a lack of starting-pitching depth.
“I can't make the team win," Scherzer said. "I can only go out there and compete and do my job and put the team in a position to win.”
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