Scherzer’s 16th win tops MLB
Nationals ace blanks Marlins over 6 innings
WASHINGTON — Max Scherzer is using all his tools to help keep the Nationals’ playoff hopes alive.
Scherzer pitched six scoreless innings, doubled and scored twice as the Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 8-2 on Friday night for his major league-leading 16th win.
After throwing seven shutout innings against the Cubs on Sunday only to watch Chicago win on a walk-off grand slam, Scherzer (16-5) left with a 5-0 lead and watched the Nationals thwart a Marlins rally.
Scherzer allowed at least one baserunner in four of six innings but worked out of trouble as Washington opened a sixgame
homestand with little margin for error as it seeks to get back into playoff contention.
“They grinded me,” Scherzer said. “There were some spots in the game that could have swung the game the other way, and (Matt) Wieters did a great job behind the plate finding the right pitch to throw at the right time.”
Scherzer struck out seven with one walk and is 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA over his last six starts.
Ryan Zimmerman and Wieters homered, and Bryce Harper and Adam Eaton had three hits each for Washington, which has won two straight after losing seven of its previous nine.
Scherzer, who also reached on a fielders’ choice, has hit safely in seven of his last eight starts and is batting .296.
“I think biggest thing with Max is in big pressure situations he has the ability to put the ball in play to where you don’t have that kind of strikeout sitting in the nine hole,” Wieters said.
Austin Dean homered for his first career hit for the Marlins, who have lost six straight. Miami made two errors and Harper took advantage of center fielder Magneuris Sierra’s tentative play to turn a single into a double.
“We should have some pride in what we’re doing out there and I think we’ve showed that through the course of the season for the most part, but here in the recent days it’s just unacceptable in what we’re watching,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
Miami’s Dan Straily (4-6) allowed five runs on nine hits in six innings.
Mattingly was ejected in the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes after Derek Dietrich was called out on a 3-2 pitch that appeared to be outside.
The Nationals went ahead 1-0 in the second on Zimmerman’s 10th home run. After Wieters’ solo shot made it 3-0 in the fourth, Scherzer doubled and scored on Eaton’s double.
“That’s why I put in the work, run in between days so I can run the bases and pitch,” Scherzer said. “For me, that’s part of the game.”
Harper picked up his 500th career RBI with a single in the seventh, and Daniel Murphy extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
The Marlins got two runs in the seventh off Trevor Gott, but three relievers held them scoreless for the final 2 1⁄3 innings.