WASHINGTON – After beating Max Scherzer three times in his past five starts against them and touching him up for five runs including three unearned last week at SunTrust Park, the Braves felt the wrath of the Nationals’ two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Monday night.
Scherzer fired a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and no walks in a 2-0 win against the Braves at Nationals Park, snapping Washington’s five-game skid.
Braves starter Julio Teheran pitched six solid innings, but Howie Kendrick’s two-out, two-run double down the left-field line was more than enough support on a night when Scherzer took care of the rest for his ninth career complete game and fifth shutout, facing just 28 batters to get 27 outs.
“We all know what kind of pitcher he is. He was on point,” Teheran said. “The last outing at home we kind of hit on him pretty good. Today he was the kind of pitcher we all know. They scored early and we’ve got to give him the credit, he got us today.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker said, “It was kind of like he got stronger as he went, too. The last couple of innings were probably some of his best. Just really tough.”
Teheran came in with a 10.13 ERA in two starts this season after lasting just 2 1/3 innings against the Nationals in his last game Tuesday in Atlanta, where he gave up six hits, five runs and three walks. But at Nationals Park, where Teheran was 3-0 with an 0.86 ERA in three starts last season, he pitched with more confidence and a sharper slider.
He had a 19-inning scoreless streak at Nationals Park snapped in the first inning after giving up a one-out double to Anthony Rendon and walking Bryce Harper on four pitches. Teheran struck out Ryan Zimmerman for the second out, but Kendrick’s double drove in two.
“I felt a lot better today,” Teheran said. “All my pitches were on point. Other than the first inning, I think I made a couple of good pitches and just got unlucky on that one he hit pretty good and he found a spot to get that double.”
Snitker said Teheran “was real good. It was kind of a ground-ball double. Other than that, he threw the ball really good. He kept the game in check and gave us a chance.”
The most prominent Brave, slugger Freddie Freeman, suggested Scherzer, who certainly doesn’t need much assistance, got some from home-plate umpire CB Bucknor.
“(Scherzer) was good,” Freeman said. “Threw pitches where he wanted to and got a little help.”
Scherzer was charged with six hits, five runs (two earned) and two walks in five innings of a 7-1 loss Wednesday at SunTrust Park, and was 1-3 with a 5.28 ERA in his past five starts against the Braves going back to May 20. In that same stretch he was 12-2 with a 1.70 ERA in 20 starts against everyone else.
On Monday, he pitched like the guy with those numbers against everyone else – and then some. After throwing 110 pitches (71 strikes) in five innings against the Braves on Wednesday, Scherzer needed 102 pitches (72 strikes) for a shutout and his 66th game with 10 or more strikeouts.
The big right-hander also had a seventh-inning single, giving him half as many hits as he allowed. Moments later he surprised reliever Peter Moylan by dashing to second base for the first stolen base of Scherzer’s 11-year career.
“I wasn’t holding him; I was trying to tire him out,” joked Moylan, who had allowed only two previous hits by pitchers in his career and none since June 2013.
Asked the difference between Scherzer’s two outings five days apart, Snitker said, “His cutter tonight was just lethal tonight, the ones I saw. He didn’t miss any of those, I don’t think. He was elevating his fastball, change was good, he just had everything going.”
As for that cutter, or cut fastball, Freeman said, “Yeah, he threw it a little more tonight, but he threw it to some spots where we didn’t have a chance to hit it.”
Meaning Scherzer got the benefit of calls on the corners? “Little bit more than corners,” Freeman said. “But that’s all I’m going to say.”
The only inning the Braves sent more than three batters to the plate was the fifth, when Nick Markakis hit a leadoff single before Scherzer retired the next three on a pop foul and two strikeouts. After Kurt Suzuki’s one-out single in the second Scherzer induced a double-play grounder from Preston Tucker.
