LEADING OFF: Scherzer returns for Mets, Taillon on a roll

By The Associated Press

New York Mets ace Max Scherzer returns to a major league mound for the first time since May 18 when the NL East leaders play at Cincinnati on Tuesday night. The right-hander, who turns 38 in three weeks, hasn’t pitched for the Mets since he strained the oblique muscle in his left side while throwing a pitch. Scherzer is 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA in his first season with the Mets, who signed the three-time Cy Young Award winner to a $130 million, three-year contract during the offseason. He made a pair of starts for Double-A Binghamton on June 21 and 29, allowing four earned runs and seven hits in eight innings with 14 strikeouts and two walks.