Scherzer so-so in return; Nationals fall to Rockies
Washington ace Max Scherzer lasted five innings in his return from the injured list, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Nationals 8-7 on Thursday in Washington.
Ian Desmond led off the ninth with a homer off 42-yearold Fernando Rodney (0-4), who pitched in both games of Wednesday’s doubleheader. Rodney then walked Charlie Blackmon, who advanced on a wild pitch and a single by David Dahl, and Daniel Murphy drove in Blackmon with a groundout.
Murphy homered and scored three times for the Rockies, who avoided a four-game sweep and won for just the fourth time in their past 20 games. Jairo Diaz (3-2) worked a scoreless eighth, and Wade Davis earned his 15th save.
Anthony Rendon hit a three-run drive for Washington, which wasted a chance to gain ground on first-place Atlanta in the NL East.
Scherzer had been sidelined by inflammation under his right shoulder. He was 7-0 with a sparkling 0.87 ERA in his previous seven starts, but he struggled with his command at times in his first start since July 6.
He allowed three runs and four hits while matching his shortest outing of the season. The three-time Cy Young Award winner struck out eight, increasing his Nlleading total to 189, and he hasn’t lost since May 17, the last time he gave up three runs.
Light-hitting Garrett Hampson drove a belt-high fastball from Scherzer over the wall in left-center for a two-run homer in the fourth, and Ryan Mcmahon, subbing for Nolan Arenado at third base, hit a two-run shot off Matt Grace in the sixth.
Trailing 5-3, the Nationals rallied in the sixth against Bryan Shaw. Brian Dozier and Victor Robles walked and pulled off a double steal, with Dozier taking off for third while Shaw held the ball. He hesitated and then decided to throw to second, but Robles slid in safely. Gerardo Parra lined the next pitch to right to score both runners, prompting a shark-chomping celebration by Nats fans to his walk-up tune, the children’s novelty song “Baby Shark.”
RED SOX 19, YANKEES 3: Xander Bogaerts hit a three-run homer in a seven-run first inning, then added a solo shot in the eighth as Boston beat New York. The 19 runs were the most scored by the Red Sox against the Yankees in the 117-year history of the rivalry. Bogaerts had four hits, and Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. had three apiece. CARDINALS 6, PIRATES 3: Paul Goldschmidt homered in his fourth straight game, powering St. Louis over Pittsburgh for a fourgame sweep. Goldschmidt drove a changeup from Joe Musgrove (7-9) for his 22nd home run, a solo shot that put St. Louis ahead 3-1 in the fourth. Kolten Wong homered later in the fourth and Dexter Fowler hit a tworun drive for a 6-1 margin in the fifth.
METS 4, PADRES 0: Jacob degrom pitched seven innings of four-hit ball and New York beat San Diego. Degrom (6-7) struck out nine and walked one on 105 pitches, extending his scoreless streak to 17 innings.
TULOWITZKI RETIRES DUE TO LEG INJURIES: Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said he is retiring following injuries that limited him to 13 plate appearances since July 2017. Tulowitzki was NL Rookie of the Year runner-up and a five-time All-star with the Colorado Rockies. But he appeared in only five games with the New York Yankees this season before straining his left calf on April 3. He finishes with a .290 average, 225 homers and 780 RBIS in 13 seasons with Colorado (2006-15), Toronto (201517) and the Yankees.
RAYS’ SNELL TO HAVE ELBOW SURGERY: Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell will be sidelined until at least September due to arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. Snell is 6-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 20 starts this season.