John Matthews
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) This is what pitching aces do. When their teams have lost five in a row, aces come in to put out the fire and save the day.
Someone get Max Scherzer a cape.
The two-time defending Cy Young Award winner went the distance Monday night, giving up just two hits, with no walks and 10 strikeouts en route to a 2-0 masterpiece win for the Nationals over the Braves at Nats Park.
The Nationals, who were suffering from their longest losing streak in nearly two years, managed to score twice in the first inning on a Howie Kendrick double that scored Anthony Rendon and Bryce Harper. Mad Max took it from there.
Scherzer, who pitched the ninth complete game of his career, pitched to just 28 batters – one over the minimum – and benefitted from the Braves continuously batting into quick ground outs and flyouts. They rarely were able to challenge Scherzer at the plate, and as a result, the pitch count was low enough to keep Mad Max on the mound throughout the game.
The Nationals’ beleaguered bullpen needed the break after a 12-inning loss to the Mets in a Sunday night matchup that lasted into Monday morning.
Scherzer struck out 10 batters for the 66th time in his career, but he did not just delight fans with his play on the mound. After slashing a single down the right field line in the seventh inning, Scherzer did something he had been wanting to do for years – he stole second base. It was the 33-year-old’s first steal since high school.
“Finally! I’ve been yelling at Matt Williams, and I’ve been yelling at Dusty Baker, like, `Let me go!” he said, referring to the two managers who ran the Nats before Dave Martinez took over this season. Scherzer was finally able to convince the new skipper to allow him to give it a try.
“There’s obviously situations where I feel like I’m fast enough,” Scherzer said with a grin.
The Nationals (5-5) entered the game with a losing record for the first time since August of 2015. They hope to build on their current .500 record Tuesday night when Stephen Strasburg takes the mound for Washington against Atlanta right-hander Mike Foltynewicz.
Copyright 2018 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: AP)
