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Scherzer to miss weekend start vs. Braves with back injury

Patrick McDermott / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Max Scherzer will miss his Sunday start against the Atlanta Braves due to an inflamed bursa sac in his back, he told Mark Zuckerman of MASN.

The Washington Nationals right-hander was eligible to return from the IL on July 20. He received a cortisone shot Tuesday, however, and will need a few more days to recover before he can throw off a mound.

"Yesterday I was kind of pulling my hair out, because it was day three and it wasn't better," Scherzer said. "But talking to (former teammate Shawn) Kelley, it took five or six days and (the cortisone shot) worked for him."

Scherzer compared pitching with the ailment to "having a rock in your shoe and trying to run," but he's apparently optimistic he'll return for his next scheduled start, which will likely be against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the Nationals' upcoming homestand.

Austin Voth will reportedly fill in for Scherzer in Sunday's contest. The 27-year-old is coming off a solid performance against the Baltimore Orioles in which he allowed one run over six frames, and he's authored a 4.35 ERA over 20 2/3 innings this year. The Nationals have yet to officially announce a starter.

Scherzer, 34, is in the midst of arguably the best season of his career, owning a career-high 2.01 FIP and a 12.6 K/9 rate over 129 1/3 innings. He's won seven consecutive decisions dating back to June 2, throwing at least seven innings in each appearance over that span.

The Nationals (51-44) have won seven of their last 10 and are 5 1/2 games back of the Braves for first in the National League East.

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