Despite a rocky outing from starter Max Scherzer, the Nationals defeated the Rockies, 5-4, thanks to a jolt from the offense and a shutdown performance from the bullpen.
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The reigning Most Valuable Player in the National League, Harper went 9-for-67 (.134) after the All-Star break and then missed five games with a stiff neck. He returned Sunday against the Atlanta Braves and drove in a run with a double ahead of his big game Monday.
Harper finished 3-for-3 with two walks. The Nationals kicked off a nine-game road trip with their third straight win and fourth in five games.
Jayson Werth tied Ryan Zimmerman for the Washington Nationals’ on-base streak record in Major League Baseball by reaching a career-best 43 in a 5-4 victory over Colorado.
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa throws to the plate against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, Aug. 15, 2016, in Denver. “Getting him out after four innings, you like your chances”.
Wilson Ramos tied the game at 4 with a home run in the sixth, and Bryce Harper doubled home what proved to be the winning run in the seventh.
“Just glad I got picked up by the bullpen and the offense”, Scherzer said.
But Logan escaped further damage when he struck out Anthony Rendon and Danny Espinosa, the latter with the bases loaded. Gonzalez is 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA and 13 strikeouts in his career against the Rockies.
Relievers Matt Belisle, Sammy Solis, Blake Treinen, Shawn Kelley and Mark Melancon combined to throw five scoreless innings, securing an impressive 5-4 win for the Nationals. He threw four pitches and got three outs on ground balls.
Daniel Murphy hit an RBI single in the fifth, Ramos connected for a tying homer in the sixth and Harper hit his second double of the night in the seventh to give Washington a 5-4 lead. The hit scored pinch hitter Wilmer Difo, who led off with a walk and scampered to third on Werth’s one-out single.
Harper also walked twice in the Nats’ win. He hit a soft liner that third baseman Nolan Arenado caught at his shoetops and threw to first to double off Harper and end the inning. Colorado’s DJ LeMahieu went 4-for-4 and raised his average to.337 with the fourth four-hit game of his career and third this season. He stayed back on Max Scherzer’s 1-2 changeup and lofted it into the right-field stands for his eighth homer in seven games.
All four runs were charged to Scherzer, who pitched four innings and allowed seven hits, while striking out just three batters and walking two.
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Colorado scored three in a 35-pitch first inning. David Dahl smoked a two-run double to dead center and Daniel Descalso added a sacrifice fly in the frame. Scherzer, who owns a 1.44 ERA over his last eight starts, is 0-3 with a 5.32 ERA in four career starts at Coors Field.Fortunately for Scherzer, he will be facing a Rockies team that has dropped seven of eight and nine of its last 11, including three in a row at Philadelphia over the weekend. The operation was performed in Vail, Colo., and likely will sideline Reynolds for the balance of the season.
