Instant Analysis: Blue Jays 3, Nats 2
Max Scherzer gutted his way through 2 2/3 innings, and the Nationals lineup couldn't muster much of anything against Toronto's bullpen
The old man still had enough left in his arm (and his mind) to keep the young bucks in check. So did his teammates in the Blue Jays bullpen.
Unable to do damage against either Max Scherzer or the six relievers who followed him, the Nationals suffered a rare, low-scoring loss tonight, failing to sustain their positive momentum from a successful weekend at home.
Scherzer, fresh off the IL and making perhaps the last start of his career at Nationals Park, threw the kitchen sink at his much-younger opponents, the 42-year-old mixing a healthy dose of breaking balls and changeups in with his fastball. The Nats made him work to the tune of 75 pitches in only 2 2/3 innings, but they managed only one run off the wily veteran, who departed to a standing ovation.
Eddy Yean, making his first career appearance as an opener, was far more efficient in retiring the first six batters he faced on 11 pitches. The rookie right-hander did run into trouble after that, though, serving up a homer to Ramon Urias, then back-to-back doubles to Miles Straw and Ernie Clement before Blake Butera strolled to the mound and signaled to the bullpen.
Andrew Alvarez labored through his 4 1/3 innings of bulk relief, but the left-hander found a way to allow only one run to cross the plate before departing in the seventh. Paxton Schultz, just recalled from Triple-A Rochester, kept the score intact over a multi-inning appearance.
The Nationals lineup, though, couldn’t sustain any kind of rally throughout the night. After squandering those early opportunities against Scherzer, they managed only one run off the Blue Jays bullpen: Andrés Chaparro’s pinch-hit homer in the fifth. They did put up a fight in the ninth, with two on and two out. But Toronto closer Louis Varland (Gus’ brother) struck out Luis García Jr. to end the game.
HITTING LOWLIGHT: The opportunity to get to Scherzer early was there, but the Nationals stranded the bases loaded in the first and stranded more runners in scoring position in both the second and third. Jose Tena, the No. 3 hitter, twice batted with runners on second and third; he struck out and grounded back to the mound. Dylan Crews, the No. 5 hitter, twice batted with runners in scoring position and struck out each time. Same for Daylen Lile, who did work an epic, 12-pitch at-bat in the third but ultimately struck out himself.
PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: With all due respect to anyone wearing a curly W who pitched tonight, the highlight was the guy in powder blue who started for the visitors. What did Scherzer have in him on his 42nd birthday, in his first start off the IL? Not a ton of stuff, but plenty of guts. He immediately got into a bases-loaded jam in the first but wriggled his way out of it unscathed. He gave up one run in the second but prevented further damage. And he recorded back-to-back strikeouts with a runner on third in the third. That final strikeout came on the 12th pitch of his prolonged battle with Lile, after which Scherzer looked to the third-base dugout as if to say: “That’s all I got tonight.” Manager John Schneider took the ball from him, and Scherzer departed to a standing ovation from the Nationals Park crowd, tipping his cap and receiving high-fives from teammates who appreciated what he gave them tonight and throughout his Hall-of-Fame career.
NOTABLE: This was Scherzer’s 100th career start at Nationals Park, which matches Gio Gonzalez for second-most in ballpark history. Stephen Strasburg (128) tops the list.
UP NEXT: Game 2 of the series (Tuesday at 6:45 p.m.) will see Cade Cavalli take the mound for the Nats against Toronto right-hander Shane Bieber. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM
When you have runners on third with fewer than two outs, you have to put the ball in play. The Nationals failed to do that several times, and that was the difference in the game.
The bullpen deserves credit for keeping it close, although the Blue Jays hitters looked pretty bad to me. Hopefully that continues for the next two games.
Genuinely how is Jorbit Vivas on this roster? I cannot watch it anymore. Wasted at bat after wasted at bat after wasted at bat. I can’t even lie, I knew we lost this game as soon as he was put in the lineup.