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Max Scherzer picked up his 10th K of the night and 300th strikeout of the season with his 100th pitch tonight in Nationals Park as the Washington Nationals beat Miami’s Marlins in what ended up a 9-4 game in the nation’s capital.
Mr. 300 Ks: Max Scherzer tossed six scoreless innings against the Marlins when faced them in the nation’s capital last month, earning a win which left him (4-0) with a 2.67 ERA, six walks, 25 Ks, and a .216/.273/.382 line against in 27 IP against the Nationals’ divisional rivals in 2018.
Just dominant, @Max_Scherzer. pic.twitter.com/rO5BXAIQrm
— MLB (@MLB) September 26, 2018
In six starts since, the 34-year-old, three-time Cy Young award winner had a 4.62 ERA, 10 walks, 56 strikeouts, and a .215/.277/.389 line against in 39 IP before taking on Miami one more time in 2018 tonight.
Scherzer took the mound with 290 Ks on the season and picked up three in two scoreless, throwing back-to-back, 12-pitch frames to start the game.
He worked around a hit-by-pitch in the third, to complete three scoreless and hitless, but gave up a leadoff single in the first at bat of the fourth, and a two-out RBI double drove in the Marlins’ first run, 3-1.
Scherzer was up to six Ks total on the night and 296 Ks on the season after he added two in the fourth, and he picked up No. 7 and 297 in the first at bat of the fifth. J.T. Realmuto was K victim No. 8 on the night and 298 on the season for the second out of the sixth.
Lewis Brinson went down swinging at a 1-2 fastball for No. 9 and 299, and Austin Dean got to a full count before fouling off a few and then swinging over a filthy slider for No. 300 of 2018.
Max Scherzer is the third pitcher in the past 15 years to strikeout 300 batters in a single season. pic.twitter.com/sKISncb32G
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 26, 2018
Max Scherzer’s Line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 Ks, 100 P, 70 S, 2/4 GO/FO.
With his 10 strikeouts tonight, Max Scherzer has passed Andy Pettitte on @MLB's all-time strikeout list. pic.twitter.com/IIrvC0m3iH
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 26, 2018
The @Nationals pinch hit for Max Scherzer, and he ends the night with exactly 300 strikeouts and 150 hits allowed this year. The 150 hits would be the fewest ever allowed by a pitcher in a 300-strikeout season, besting Pedro Martinez's 1997 campaign (158). #OnePursuit
— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) September 26, 2018
Brigham vs the Nationals: Acquired in a three-team trade with the Dodgers and Braves in 2015, Jeff Brigham, a 2014 4th Round pick by LA, made his MLB debut earlier this month, and in three starts before taking the mound for the first time in Nationals Park, the 26-year-old right-hander was (0-3) with a 5.84 ERA, nine walks, 10 Ks, and a .267/.379/.400 line against in 12 1⁄3 IP.
Leadoff and one-out walks in the first hurt the Fish starter tonight when Anthony Rendon hit a high, 93 mph, 1-1 fastball out to left for a three-run blast that made it 3-0 early in D.C.
Anthony Rendon has hit safely in 11 straight games.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 25, 2018
(He's homered in 5 of them.) pic.twitter.com/vGpxRtWNP5
Brigham managed to hold the Nats there through five before Marlins’ skipper Don Mattingly hit for him in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Jeff Brigham’s Line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 Ks, 1 HR, 69 P, 36 S, 4/3 GO/FO.
Rend-On-base Streak Update: Anthony Rendon didn’t waste any time extending his on-base streak to 33-straight games tonight, homering the first time up against Marlins’ right-hander Jeff Brigham on a 1-1 fastball that went out to left for a three-run blast.
No. 24 of 2018 for Rendon, whose blast was his 8th over the course of his on-base streak.
100, 100, 100: Bryce Harper scored his 100th run of the 2018 campaign on Rendon’s three-run blast, making him just the 7th player in the majors since 2014 to put together a 100+ run, RBI, and walk season in the majors.
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— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 25, 2018
Bryce Harper is the only NL player with 100 BB, 100 R and 100 RBIs. pic.twitter.com/oBSPeWuKcg
BULLPEN ACTION: Drew Rucinski took over on the mound for the Marlins in the bottom of the fifth inning, working around a Bryce Harper walk and Anthony Rendon single to keep it 3-1 Nationals, and he came back out in the bottom of the sixth and retired the side in order.
Tyler Kinley gave up a leadoff double by Adam Eaton in the bottom of the seventh and then walked Bryce Harper intentionally with one down before Anthony Rendon doubled to right field to drive Eaton in and make it a 4-1 game. Double No. 43 of 2018.
Ryan Zimmerman followed with a two-run single to center off new Fish hurler Nick Wittgren, 6-1, and Matt Wieters’ added an RBI single (his 3rd hit of the night) to make it 7-1, and Adam Eaton drove in two more with a single, 9-1.
Tim Collins got two outs but left a runner on who scored when Austen Williams gave up a two-run home run to left by Peter O’Brien, 9-3 Nationals after seven and a half.
Ben Meyer worked around an Adrian Sanchez single and a walk to Juan Soto in a scoreless bottom of the eighth.
Jimmy Cordero gave up a run in the ninth but wrapped things up...
Ballgame.
Final Score: 9-4 Nationals
Nationals now 80-78