D-backs start, finish with flurry in victory
Nats ace Scherzer throttled early
PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks opened with three straight home runs off Washington Nationals ace
Max Scherzer and ended with Brandon Drury’s bases-loaded single in the ninth inning for a 6-5 victory Friday.
The home runs by David Peralta, A.J. Pollock and Jake Lamb started the Diamondbacks on the way to a 5-0 lead.
The feat was the first in the majors since Baltimore did it against Texas on May 10, 2012.
It was the first time in Nationals history - 2005 to present - that an opposing team has hit three consecutive home runs.
The Diamondbacks last hit three straight homers on Aug. 11, 2010, when they had four in a row at Milwaukee.
The four runs were the most allowed by Scherzer in a first inning since July 2, 2011, against San Francisco, when he gave up five.
Scherzer’s five runs allowed tied for the most he’s given up in a start this season, and the five innings tied for his shortest outing of the season.
Arizona sent nine batters to the plate in the four-run first, and the Diamondbacks made it 5-0 in the second on Lamb’s RBI double.
Scherzer had allowed one home run in 34 2/3 innings over five starts before he surrendered the three home runs on his first 10 pitches.
The All-star right-hander and two-time Cy Young Award winner was tagged for three homers in a game for the first time since May 6, 2016, against the Chicago Cubs, when he allowed four.
Peralta, Pollock and Lamb also had a double each, another historical first for the Diamondbacks.
The Nationals rallied with Daniel Murphy’s run-scoring double in the fourth and added two runs in the fifth off Diamondbacks starter Zack Godley. A leadoff double for Matt Wieters led to Brian Goodwin’s RBI groundout, and Ryan Raburn singled in Wilmer Difo with two outs.