Max Scherzer removed himself from his start Wednesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals with what the New York Mets said was left side discomfort.

He will have an MRI on Thursday.

"I don't think this is a major strain," Scherzer said. "I was kind of tight and then all of a sudden it went. But I don't feel like I really ripped it. It just kind of got worse. So hopefully I got out of there quick enough to prevent a major injury here because I know oblique, intercostal, those things can be nasty. Hopefully I avoided a serious injury."

Scherzer, 37, is 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings this season.