“I’ve seen Scherzer better, but he pitched well enough to win”, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
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Washington Nationals’ Wilson Ramos (40) slides into second on a double before Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez (16) can get the ball in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, April 16, 2016, in Philadelphia.Scherzer’s streak of retired batters ended at 12-straight when Phillies’ catcher Cameron Rupp hit a 3-2 fastball out to left for a solo home run in the fifth that made it 7-1 Nats after five. The Phillies can’t wait for their NL East rivals to leave.
The Phillies, pegged to be among the worst teams in the majors, are chugging along at 5-6, but when Scherzer is on his game he’s borderline unhittable, evidence by his two no-hitters last season.
Ryan Pressly (1-0) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth for the win in relief of starter Ricky Nolasco. Nola struck out 6 batters but also walked 3.
But the guy with the impressive WHIP got whipped.
“I am trying to have more fun and see if I can have that resonate among the rest of the guys in the clubhouse”, he said.
“I take pride in my hitting”, he said.
Taylor opened the game by driving Hellickson’s second pitch into the seats in left, and Werth broke open the first inning with a bases-clearing double to left-center.
In St. Louis, Brandon Phillips, Zack Cozart and Jay Bruce had two RBIs apiece for Cincinnati, which erased an early four-run deficit against Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright. It is not likely that Borland would have fared much better than the current Phillies pitchers did once this game got underway. “We are seeing him do even more at the plate even with less to hit”. We are seeing it right now where he just can get in a zone. He still has to improve his control (six walks in 10 1/3 innings) but he’s averaging 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings, well above his averages in previous years.
After Ruf’s 0-for-4 with three strikeout performance on Saturday night, the Phillies leftfielders were hitting.
The Nationals are looking every bit like the World Series team they were billed as entering the season.
Instead, it was the Nats making the statement; namely, that they’re not to be confused with the Padres. He was taken out in the eighth inning after a Freddy Galvis single.
Suddenly, Harper’s team is 9-1, continuing their best start in franchise history.
Prior to Rupp’s home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, Scherzer had retired 12 consecutive Phillies. Pinch-hitter Chris Heisey wrapped up the scoring with his first homer as a National, a solo shot in the ninth.
“It’s great to be associated with someone like that”, Howard said. You don’t think about things like that. He is batting. 343 this season and now has 9 runs, 5 home runs and 14 RBI.
“I know Michael Taylor’s a good runner so I tried to be quick with it”, Ruf said.
Well, then you’re going to be doubly impressed when you learn that he put in some work at the dish, too.
Will Venable, the eight-year big league veteran signed at the end of spring training? “I just lost the exchange”.
There would be no comeback, as the Nationals cruised to a 9-1 victory.
“Just couldn’t find a way to get that big pitch with runners on base in the first couple innings, “Scherzer explained when he spoke to MASN’s Johnny Holliday and Ray Knight, “but sometimes that’s just the way it goes”. “We’re pitching well, hitting well and we just want to keep it rolling”.
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Those would be all the runs that the Nationals would need for Scherzer. “Like a roller-coaster ride”. Elvis Andrus capped the frame with an RBI single to right off Mychal Givens as Texas collected five hits in the frame.
