With the Washington Nationals poised to complete a sweep of the rival New York Mets, Max Scherzer needed to deliver. And deliver he did — big time.
After going 1-6 in their previous seven games, the Washington Nationals knew they needed to make a statement in their three game series against the Mets. They needed to show that their early-season success wasn’t just a fluke and that they truly were the team to beat in the NL East.
It’s only June, but the Nationals needed to beat the Mets. And that’s exactly what they did. They did it in Game 1 on Monday. Then they did it again in Game 2. And then they did it one more time in Game 3.
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By sweeping the Mets, the Nationals showed that they know how to turn things around when the going gets tough. They showed that they have what it takes to beat the defending NL champs. And in last night’s win, which was arguably the most important of the three, they showed that when their ace is on fire, the team is invincible.
Scherzer dominated last night, pitching 7 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out 10 batters and walking just one. It was the ninth win of the season for Scherzer, who has now struck out 41 batters over his last four starts.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that former Met Daniel Murphy loves to beat up on his old team. Last night’s game was no exception, as Mruphy blasted two homers and accounted for three of the Nationals’ four runs against the Mets’ pitching staff.
The Nationals need Murphy’s offense as much as they need Scherzer’s pitching, and both were at their best last night.
Scherzer hasn’t been perfect this season. While he leads all of baseball with 148 strikeouts, he’s also allowed the most homers of any pitcher in the National League this season. His 3.30 ERA is his highest since 2012.
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But when Scherzer is on his game, he can be the best pitcher in baseball. And more likely than not, when he’s on his game, the Nationals will win.
As goes Max Scherzer, so go the Nats. And last night, the outcome couldn’t have been better for either.