Rays finish 3-hitter with a tricky 9th

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Another attempt at a no-hitter, a reliever alternating between the mound and first base, and postgame pushing and shoving.

The Rays pulled off an odd one for their fifth straight victory.

Nathan Eovaldi took a nohitter into the sixth before an unusual combination of relievers in the ninth completed a threehitter as the Rays beat Max Scherzer and the Nationals 1-0 Tuesday.

Eovaldi (2-3) lost his no-hit bid when Bryce Harper hit an opposite-field double off the left-field wall with two outs in the sixth. However, it was the ninth inning that stole the spotlight.

After Diego Castillo went two innings, lefty Jose Alvarado began the ninth by walking Harper before moving to first base when Chaz Roe relieved him. Roe struck out Anthony Rendon before Alvarado returned to the mound and gave up singles to lefties Juan Soto and Daniel Murphy that loaded the bases.

“We wanted to get our best matchups possible,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “The gamble, I guess, was hoping that nobody hit a ground ball to first.”

Sergio Romo replaced Alva- rado and got his sixth save by getting Trea Turner to fly out and Michael A. Taylor to strike out.

“I was a little jealous that it wasn’t me going out and playing a position,” Romo said.

There was a brief scrum near the mound after Taylor struck out when Romo exchanged words with the outfielder, who had stolen second in the sixth inning of a 11-2 victory against the Rays on June 6.

Said Taylor: “I understand the situation. Obviously they think different, but I’m not worried about that. The talking and things like that, I’m not big on drama.”