WASHINGTON — Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer was scratched Sunday night  from his scheduled start in Game 5 of the World Series because of spasms near his neck and replaced by Joe Ross.

Manager Dave Martinez made the announcement three hours before the first pitch. Gerrit Cole, who went 20-5 in the regular season, started for Houston with the Series tied 2-2.

Scherzer said the pain started a few days ago and he thought trainers would be able to help him pitch through it.

“When I woke up this morning it was completely locked up,” Scherzer said. “It’s not just a muscle spasm. The nerve that’s in the neck is all jammed up.”

He knew he wouldn’t be able to pitch as soon as he tried to get up.

“I had to fall out of bed and pick myself up with my left arm,” he said. “I couldn’t even dress myself. I had to have my wife help me.”

Scherzer said he couldn’t lift his arm and had a cortisone shot to alleviate the pain caused by the nerve between the C5 and C6 vertebrae. He had a bandage on the back on his neck, slightly to the right.

He hopes to be available Wednesday night for a Game 7.

“It’s going to take at least 48 hours for this to kick in,” he said.

Scherzer beat Cole in Tuesday night’s opener, and Martinez said he felt the spasm near his neck and trapezius muscle on his right side Saturday.

“Max, obviously he pitched with a broken nose,” Martinez said. “When he comes in and says he’s hurt this bad, he’s hurt.”

Ross had pitched just once in the postseason, throwing 19 pitches over two scoreless innings in a 4-1 loss Friday night in Game 3.

“He’s got good stuff and he got his feet wet the other night, so that will help him,” General Manager Mike Rizzo said. “To make an emergency start in Game 5 of the World Series against the Houston Astros, he’ll have to control his emotions … and just follow the game plan and see what happens.”

A 26-year-old right-hander, Ross was 4-4 with a 5.48 ERA in 27 appearances, including 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA in nine starts.

Before Friday he last pitched Sept. 29, starting against Cleveland on the final day of the regular season, and getting the win by allowing one run and four hits in six innings while throwing 78 pitches.

“We’re going to let him go as much as he can go,” Martinez said.

Stephen Strasburg, the Game 6 starter, threw a bullpen session Saturday and wasn’t an option to face the Astros on three days’ rest.

“I think everybody is dealing with the effects of a long season,” Strasburg said. “So you really just kind of focus on what you can control. Sometimes things are out of your control.”

Rizzo and Martinez said Scherzer’s injury wasn’t related to the back problems that caused him to go on the injured list this summer and limited him to an 11-7 record with a 2.92 ERA in 27 starts.

JIM CRANE, the Astros’ owner, sent a letter to a Sports Illustrated reporter to apologize for his team accusing her of trying to “fabricate a story.”

Stephanie Apstein reported Monday night that Astros assistant general manager Brandon Taubman repeatedly yelled toward a group of female reporters during the team’s celebration after clinching the AL pennant. The comments involved closer Roberto Osuna, who was suspended for 75 games last year for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy, and were punctuated with a profanity.

After the SI story was published, the Astros called it “misleading and completely irresponsible.” Other reporters corroborated what Apstein wrote, and Taubman was fired Thursday.

In the letter Apstein posted Sunday on Twitter, Crane wrote that he was apologizing and retracting the team’s initial statement.