Rangers: When Jacob deGrom is at his best, the Rangers believe he’s the best pitcher on the planet. The two-time Cy Young Award winner certainly is looking like his old self. DeGrom flirted with a perfect game through six innings and a no-hitter through seven Wednesday night in another dominating performance in his return from Tommy John surgery in June 2023. He threw 89 pitches, getting pulled after giving up his only hit to Colton Cowser leading off the eighth. The Rangers finished off a 7-0 win over the Orioles as deGrom tied his career-best streak of 13 straight starts giving up two or fewer earned runs. “When you miss that much time, you miss this a lot,” deGrom said. “You got time to really think about what you’ve done in your career. The goal is to try to come back and be as good as I was before the surgery, so constantly trying to work on that and still working on things in between.” Manager Bruce Bochy said deGrom was throwing well and he planned to give him a chance to finish a no-hit bid. The Rangers have been limiting deGrom to around 80 pitches per game. “First guy that got a hit that was far enough,” Bochy said. “We had a nice lead, and he’s so fun to watch. He really is. I’ve said this. I’m a fan when he’s pitching.” Rangers catcher Jonah Heim said deGrom was throwing all four pitches for strikes, and all he had to do was call the pitches. “That’s the best I’ve ever seen him since he came over here,” Heim said. “So really encouraging to see really proud of him for all the work he’s put in to get here.” The Rangers certainly are getting the best of deGrom in his third season since he joined the club on a five-year, $185 million deal. He’s off to an 8-2 start and has started 16 games after being limited to three in 2024 and six in 2023. Yes, deGrom wanted to finish off a no-hitter until a fastball wound up in the wrong spot for the only hit he allowed. “It was just fun to be out there,” deGrom said.

Blue Jays: Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer pitched five innings and gave up three runs Wednesday night in his first appearance for the Blue Jays since March. “That’s a good check-mark sign,” Scherzer said. “Maybe something that you look for as you’re coming back and as you’re ramping back up. So good in that regard. In terms of actually pitching, a little rusty. I could execute better.” Scherzer gave up six hits and three walks on 83 pitches with four strikeouts after recovering from an inflamed right thumb that caused him to go on the injured list. The Blue Jays wound up losing 5-4 in 10 innings to the Guardians. The next step will be determined based on how his thumb feels because thumb problems can lead to shoulder issues. The 40-year-old Scherzer threw his most pitches since last July 25, throwing 55 of 83 pitches for strikes. He signed a one-year, $15.5 million deal with the Blue Jays in February. He left his Blue Jays debut against the Orioles on March 29 after three innings because of soreness in his right lat muscle. The next day, the Blue Jays put Scherzer on the IL because of inflammation in his thumb.