Max Scherzer is on the hill for the Nats in an afternoon tilt against the Cincinnati Reds and he’s got a no-hitter going through six innings.
Advertisement
In a season that was supposed to be the Nats’ year to shine, it has been quite dark. Scherzer has not allowed a hit through five innings. He gave up a one-out hit to Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart on pitch number 105. “Max was great all day. But that’s him: He’s one of the best pitchers there is”. The right-hander walked three, Cincinnati’s only baserunners one each in the first, third and seventh innings.
Before the eighth inning, Schumaker came closest to getting a hit off Scherzer – and he did so twice.
“There weren’t a lot of great at-bats against (Scherzer)”.
“We just came out and just played baseball”, Moore said.
On Monday, he regularly topped 95 miles per hour and occasionally reached 99 miles per hour.
Scherzer, the 2013 AL Cy Young Award victor for Detroit, signed a $210 million contract with Washington this offseason.
The last pitcher to throw two no-hitters in the same regular season was Nolan Ryan with the Angels in 1973.
“I thought it had the makings of it”, Scherzer said.
Reliever Matt Thornton replaced Scherzer in the top of the ninth and pitched a scoreless inning, sealing Washington’s 5-1 win in its home finale.
Harper sat because of his part in Sunday’s altercation with Jonathan Papelbon – or as a regularly scheduled day off, depending on whom you talked to when – absent from a lineup that did not include many Nationals regulars anyway. Earlier this season, Scherzer no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 20, 2015.
Washington’s Wilson Ramos hit his 15th homer, and Matt den Dekker his fifth.
Jumbo Diaz relieved Finnegan in the sixth and allowed a home run to den Dekker as the Reds saw their deficit increase to four.
Cincinnati returns to the Great American Ball Park for the final three home games of the season against the Cubs on Tuesday. The Cubs have clinched an NL wild card.
Advertisement
Wisler has had his struggles during his rookie season, but he’s posted a 3.79 ERA over his last three after beating the Mets last Tuesday. Both NL East clubs have been eliminated from playoff contention.
