Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer almost put himself in the record books Monday afternoon, coming within five outs of his second no-hitter of the season in a 5-1 victory over the Reds at Nationals Park. Scherzer allowed one run on two hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks over eight innings in a makeup of a game that was to be be played on July 8.
Had Scherzer completed the no-hitter, he would have become the sixth pitcher to accomplish the feat twice in a season (including the postseason). The last to do it was Roy Halladay in 2010. Scherzer pitched his first no-hitter on June 20 in a 6-0 victory over the Pirates.
“Scherzer had some great plays early,” Nationals manager Matt Williams said. “The pitch count was in order. He was pushing it. I thought he was going to do it again. He pitched really well.”
Scherzer received plenty of help on defense. Tyler Moore, a first baseman by trade, made a great diving grab off the bat of Skip Schumaker in the third inning. In that same inning, Anthony Rendon made a nice barehanded play off the bat of Ivan De Jesus.
The Reds would eventually get to Scherzer in the eighth inning, when catcher Tucker Barnhart singled to left field. Two batters later, Schumaker singled up the middle to bring Barnhart home.
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