Max Scherzer left the game after two innings due to arm fatigue in his debut start for the Texas Rangers following the All-Star break.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner gave up four runs as eight of the 14 Baltimore batters he faced reached base in the Rangers’ 8-4 defeat. This outing marked only his sixth start since undergoing back surgery in the offseason, and it occurred a week before his 40th birthday.

“Once I started pitching, the fatigue affected my performance and accuracy. … I knew I needed to leave the game to avoid risking further injury,” Scherzer said. “But the positive aspect is that I didn’t experience any sharp pains or strains.”

Scherzer (1-3) had pitched four innings in a planned shorter outing the previous Sunday.

During the break, he also threw a bullpen session in Florida and felt he had recovered well enough for this start, although he was concerned about his pitch count and potential issues that could limit his outing.

José Ureña took over for Scherzer at the beginning of the third inning with the Rangers trailing 4-0.

Scherzer threw 34 strikes among his 53 pitches, allowing five hits and two walks. He struck out one batter, moving closer to tying for 10th place on baseball’s all-time strikeout list, and made a throwing error after fielding a bunt single.

“That’s a substantial number of pitches for just two innings. I didn’t want to push him further. … That was enough,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Our priority is to keep him healthy and fresh.”

Scherzer’s fastball velocity was slightly lower, averaging 91.3 mph with 20 fastballs, compared to his season average of 92.7 mph. The velocity was also down on his 11 sliders and 11 changeups.

This was Scherzer’s shortest outing since June 11, 2021, when he threw only 12 pitches for Washington. He exited that game early due to a groin issue after stretching and throwing one warmup pitch.