Scherzer Rolls in Nats' Win Over Mets
It seems as if every time Max Scherzer is on the mound, it is an automatic no-hitter watch for the Washington Nationals. The ace recorded double digit strikeouts for a fifth straight start on Friday night, punching out 10 in the Nats' 7-2 win over the New York Mets. The right-hander allowed just four hits in his eighth win of the season, and fourth victory in his past five starts. He lasted eight innings and did not throw more than 16 pitches in an inning until the eighth, throwing first-pitch strikes on 26 of 29 batters faced. Scherzer also got plenty of run support in the form of three long balls, including back-to-back blasts from Matt Wieters and Michael A. Taylor in the third inning. Anthony Rendon added a two-run shot later in the game off of Steven Matz, who dropped to 1-1 on the season. Rendon had three RBI on the night, while Bryce Harper had three hits and an RBI, helping Washington improve to 5-0 at Citi Field this season. They have two more games there this weekend, including on Saturday afternoon.
Betts, Red Sox Edge Astros in Houston
The most entertaining series of the weekend could be coming from Houston, as the AL-West leading Astros are playing host the second-place Boston Red Sox. The Bosox got the best of game 1 of the series on Friday night, as Mookie Betts' eighth-inning home run gave them a 2-1 victory. The long ball came off of Wil Harris, who suffered his second loss, and was the team-leading 12th of his season, and third in three games. Betts also helped out on the defensive end by throwing out George Springer at the plate to end the sixth inning. Joe Kelly improved to 3-0 for the Red Sox after getting the final two outs of the seventh inning in relief. Mitch Moreland got Boston on the board with an RBI single off of starter Mike Fiers, who allowed one run on five hits in seven innings. Brian McCann produced the only run of the game for Houston with a solo home run in the seventh inning to tie the game. Craig Kimbrel threw a perfect ninth inning for his 19th save, as the teams will continue the series with a couple of nationally televised games, including on Baseball Night in America on FOX.
Thames Powers Brewers in Extras Over Padres
The most surprising thing about the first-place Milwaukee Brewers could be the power surge from Eric Thames this season, as that was on display again on Friday night. He picked the most opportune time to hit his 19th home run of the year with a walk-off blast in the 10th for a 6-5 win over the San Diego Padres. It was the first walk-off home run for Milwaukee since Martin Maldonado did it in May of 2015. Ryan Butcher surrendered the game-winner for San Diego to fall to 3-3 on the year, while Jared Hughes got his third win for Milwaukee after a perfect 10th inning. The Padres got off to a fast start in the first inning with a three-run shot from Wil Myers, followed by a solo blast from Hunter Renfroe. That was the rookie's 15th of the year, breaking Nate Colbert's franchise record for most rookie home runs before the All-Star break. Yangervis Solarte added a solo shot in the eighth to give them a 5-4 lead, before Manny Pina tied the game with a solo shot for the Brewers. Junior Guerra got the start for the Brew-Crew, shaking off the tough first inning to last six innings in his fifth start since coming off the DL on May 25th. The Brewers' NL Central lead remains at 2.5 games after the Cubs got a win over the Pirates on Friday. They will continue their series with the Padres on Saturday afternoon.
It seems as if every time Max Scherzer is on the mound, it is an automatic no-hitter watch for the Washington Nationals. The ace recorded double digit strikeouts for a fifth straight start on Friday night, punching out 10 in the Nats' 7-2 win over the New York Mets. The right-hander allowed just four hits in his eighth win of the season, and fourth victory in his past five starts. He lasted eight innings and did not throw more than 16 pitches in an inning until the eighth, throwing first-pitch strikes on 26 of 29 batters faced. Scherzer also got plenty of run support in the form of three long balls, including back-to-back blasts from Matt Wieters and Michael A. Taylor in the third inning. Anthony Rendon added a two-run shot later in the game off of Steven Matz, who dropped to 1-1 on the season. Rendon had three RBI on the night, while Bryce Harper had three hits and an RBI, helping Washington improve to 5-0 at Citi Field this season. They have two more games there this weekend, including on Saturday afternoon.
Betts, Red Sox Edge Astros in Houston
The most entertaining series of the weekend could be coming from Houston, as the AL-West leading Astros are playing host the second-place Boston Red Sox. The Bosox got the best of game 1 of the series on Friday night, as Mookie Betts' eighth-inning home run gave them a 2-1 victory. The long ball came off of Wil Harris, who suffered his second loss, and was the team-leading 12th of his season, and third in three games. Betts also helped out on the defensive end by throwing out George Springer at the plate to end the sixth inning. Joe Kelly improved to 3-0 for the Red Sox after getting the final two outs of the seventh inning in relief. Mitch Moreland got Boston on the board with an RBI single off of starter Mike Fiers, who allowed one run on five hits in seven innings. Brian McCann produced the only run of the game for Houston with a solo home run in the seventh inning to tie the game. Craig Kimbrel threw a perfect ninth inning for his 19th save, as the teams will continue the series with a couple of nationally televised games, including on Baseball Night in America on FOX.
Thames Powers Brewers in Extras Over Padres
The most surprising thing about the first-place Milwaukee Brewers could be the power surge from Eric Thames this season, as that was on display again on Friday night. He picked the most opportune time to hit his 19th home run of the year with a walk-off blast in the 10th for a 6-5 win over the San Diego Padres. It was the first walk-off home run for Milwaukee since Martin Maldonado did it in May of 2015. Ryan Butcher surrendered the game-winner for San Diego to fall to 3-3 on the year, while Jared Hughes got his third win for Milwaukee after a perfect 10th inning. The Padres got off to a fast start in the first inning with a three-run shot from Wil Myers, followed by a solo blast from Hunter Renfroe. That was the rookie's 15th of the year, breaking Nate Colbert's franchise record for most rookie home runs before the All-Star break. Yangervis Solarte added a solo shot in the eighth to give them a 5-4 lead, before Manny Pina tied the game with a solo shot for the Brewers. Junior Guerra got the start for the Brew-Crew, shaking off the tough first inning to last six innings in his fifth start since coming off the DL on May 25th. The Brewers' NL Central lead remains at 2.5 games after the Cubs got a win over the Pirates on Friday. They will continue their series with the Padres on Saturday afternoon.
