Scherzer steals, hurls 5th shutout
WASHINGTON: Max Scherzer stole the first base of his professional career and allowed only two singles in his fifth big league shutout, and the Washington Nationals ended a five-game losing skid while getting back to .500 with a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.
Scherzer (2-1), winner of the past two NL Cy Young Awards, did not let the Braves push a runner beyond first base. Kurt Suzuki got a hit in the second, and Nick Markakis did in the fifth, but neither advanced.
Scherzer managed to get farther than that: he swiped second after singling off reliever Peter Moylan in the seventh.
Howie Kendrick delivered all the offence Washington needed with a two-run double.
Scherzer struck out 10 and walked none in his ninth complete game in 299 major league starts. And he needed only 102 pitches, a far more efficient outing than his previous time on the mound, throwing 110 over five innings in a 7-1 loss at Atlanta on April 4.
At Arlington, Albert Pujols hit his 616th career homer and Martin Maldonado had two RBI singles along with an evasive move to score a run as Los Angeles extended their best start in more than three decades with a 8-3 win over the Rangers.
The Angels are 8-3 for the first time since 1987 and fourth time in franchise history.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani, the rookie twoway standout who was chosen AL Player of the Week, didn’t play a day after striking out 12 in seven scoreless innings against Oakland.
Jose Alvarez (1-0) retired the only two batters he faced after Angels starter Garrett Richards walked the bases loaded with one out in the fifth. Richards also struck out six in his 4 1/3 innings.
Doug Fister (1-2) struck out five with no walks while allowing three runs in his five innings.