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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. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. Fake Soccer Jerseys . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. 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SAN DIEGO -- A member of a Canadian singing quartet changed a lyric in his countrys national anthem and held up a sign proclaiming All Lives Matter during a pregame performance at the 87th All-Star Game on Tuesday.The Tenors, a group based in British Columbia, caused a stir at Petco Park with Remigio Pereiras actions while singing O Canada.In a statement issued during the game, the group blamed the changes solely on Pereira, who held up the sign and sang the altered lyrics while the other three singers wordlessly harmonized. The band said Pereira wont perform with The Tenors until further notice, calling his actions disrespectful and shameful.The change happened during the middle portion of the anthem, which is often sung in French at sporting events.Pereira unexpectedly sang: Were all brothers and sisters. All lives matter to the great.The normal lyric is With glowing hearts we see thee rise. The True North strong and free.United We Stand was written on the back of his sign.The Tenors are deeply sorry for the disrespectful and misguided lack of judgment by one member of the group acting as a `lone wolf today, the Tenors said in a statement posted on their official Twitter page.The other members of the group are shocked and embarrassed by the actions of Remigio Pereira, who changed the lyrics of our national anthem and used this coveted platform to serve his own political views. Our sincere apologies and regrets go out to everybody who witnessed this shameful act, to our fellow Canadians, tto Major League Baseball, to our friends, families, fans and to all those affected.dddddddddddd. The actions of one member of this group were extremely selfish, and he will not be performing with The Tenors until further notice.Major League Baseball also had no idea Pereira intended to make a political statement, spokesman Matt Bourne said.Although the audio wasnt crystal-clear at the park, many fans reacted with surprise when they saw the sign on the ballpark video scoreboard. The Canadian anthem wasnt shown live on U.S. television, but it aired in Canada, where the decisions lit up social media with overwhelming criticism of the change.The Tenors are Pereira, Clifton Murray, Fraser Walters and Victor Micallef. The Juno Award-winning group has recorded multiple platinum albums in Canada while performing around the world, including gigs at the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies, the 2012 Queens Jubilee in England and the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.All Lives Matter has become a common online response in recent months to the Black Lives Matter movement, particularly after the police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.The motivations and ethnicities of the proponents of the All Lives Matter response vary, but it has received heavy criticism. The phrase has been perceived to use reductive reasoning to trivialize the problems specifically facing blacks. ' ' '