Scherzer takes perfect game to 6th as Nats prevail

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NATIONALS 5, PHILLIES 2

PHILADELPHIA -- Max Scherzer has been so dominant that teammates are surprised when he actually gives up a hit.

Scherzer took a perfect game into the sixth inning in his bid to become the second pitcher in major league history to throw two consecutive no-hitters and the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 Friday night.

On the day Phillies Manager Ryne Sandberg resigned, Scherzer stole the show.

Scherzer (9-5) retired the first 16 batters before Freddy Galvis doubled on a 1-1 pitch to the right-field wall. The Nationals right-hander allowed 2 runs and 5 hits in 8 innings.

"Once you get through the order first time through, you know you have something going," Scherzer said. "But, it's hard. It takes luck and when you make mistakes, they have to mis-hit it."

Scherzer tossed a no-hitter last Saturday against Pittsburgh, falling one strike shy of a perfect game before hitting Jose Tabata on a 3-2 pitch with two outs. He threw a one-hitter, striking out 16 in his previous start.

But he couldn't match Johnny Vander Meer, who threw two consecutive no-hitters for the Cincinnati Reds in June 1938. The deepest a pitcher took a no-hitter after throwing one was Nolan Ryan in 1973, when he allowed a hit with no outs in the eighth.

"It's an unbelievable feat," Scherzer said of Vander Meer. "It seems so improbable he was able to do that."

Scherzer has taken a no-hitter into the sixth inning in three consecutive starts.

"Every time he goes out there, it seems he's going to be perfect," outfielder Matt den Dekker said. "It's fun to watch."

Phillies starter Aaron Harang (4-10) gave up 5 runs -- 4 earned -- and 9 hits in 6 innings to drop his seventh consecutive decision.

Drew Storen pitched the ninth for his 22nd save in 24 chances. The game ended when Domonic Brown ran through a stop sign at third base on Cody Asche's single and was tagged out in a rundown.

CARDINALS 3, CUBS 2 (10)

ST. LOUIS -- Peter Bourjos scored the winning run from third on a throwing error by Mike Baxter in the 10th inning to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 win Friday night against the Chicago Cubs.

Bourjos began the inning with a double off Justin Grimm (1-2). Kolten Wong followed with a single off the second base bag and Matt Carpenter was walked to load the bases.

Jhonny Peralta then hit a routine grounder to second base, where right fielder Baxter was positioned with the bases loaded and no one out to give the Cubs five infielders. He had plenty of time, but threw wildly to the plate.

Kevin Siegrist (2-0) got the win as St. Louis won its fourth in a row overall and seventh straight at home, where the Cardinals are a major-league best 27-7.

Chicago lost its third in a row after a four-game winning streak.

St. Louis rookie Greg Garcia tied the score 2-2 with a pinch-hit homer off Pedro Strop leading off the eighth. It was Garcia’s first major league homer and the Cardinals first pinch-hit homer of the season. Garcia is 3-for-4 as a pinch-hitter since being recalled from Triple-A Memphis on June 19.

Chicago rookie Kris Bryant gave his team a 2-1 lead by driving in Dexter Fowler with a sacrifice fly to center in the seventh off starter John Lackey (6-5), who gave up two runs on eight hits in seven innings. Fowler stared the inning with double.

Chicago starter Jake Arrieta allowed just one run on three hits over seven innings.

Randal Grichuk gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead with a run-scoring triple in the second.

Chicago, which had scored just three runs in its previous three games, tied it in the fourth on an RBI single by Baxter, who helped Arrieta with a leap into the stands to snare a fly ball by Peralta leading off the sixth.

METS 2, REDS 1 Noah Syndergaard pitched eight sharp innings and light-hitting New York got exactly the help it needed when Johnny Cueto suddenly lost the strike zone, edging visiting Cincinnati. Curtis Granderson launched a leadoff home run into the second deck on Cueto's third pitch.

PIRATES 3, BRAVES 2 (10) Jordy Mercer doubled home Andrew McCutchen with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift host Pittsburgh over Atlanta. McCutchen doubled off Jason Grilli (2-3) leading off the inning and three batters later, Mercer's third hit of the game smacked off the right-field wall.

DODGERS 7, MARLINS 1 Brett Anderson tied a career high with 10 strikeouts and allowed only one fly ball to help visiting Los Angeles to a victory over Miami. Anderson (4-4) allowed the leadoff batter in the first inning to score but was otherwise unscathed and pitched seven innings.

INTERLEAGUE

BREWERS 10, TWINS 4 Kyle Lohse pitched six effective innings and benefited from host Milwaukee's six-run first inning to get his first victory since May 16 as the Brewers beat Minnesota. Gerardo Parra, Aramis Ramirez and Scooter Gennett all hit home runs to power the Brewers.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

YANKEES 3, ASTROS 2 Chris Young had a go-ahead, three-run home run among three hits in his hometown, lifting visiting New York to a victory over Houston. Nathan Eovaldi (7-2), another Houston native, yielded 5 hits and 2 runs with 6 strikeouts in 6 innings to give him a career-high 7 wins.

ORIOLES 4, INDIANS 3 Chris Davis singled in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning, J.J. Hardy hit a home run and had two RBI, and host Baltimore beat Cleveland. Jimmy Paredes had three hits and scored twice for the Orioles.

BLUE JAYS 12, RANGERS 2 Edwin Encarnacion hit his seventh career grand slam and a solo home run as Toronto handed visiting Texas its season-high sixth consecutive loss. Russell Martin and Danny Valencia each hit solo home runs for the Blue Jays.

TIGERS 5, WHITE SOX 4 J.D. Martinez hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning, and Joakim Soria worked out of a jam in the ninth to lift host Detroit over Chicago. The Tigers trailed 4-3 in the seventh, but Rajai Davis led off with a home run that inning, and Martinez went deep off Zach Duke (3-3) in the eighth.

RED SOX 4, RAYS 3 (10) Mookie Betts doubled to extend his career-best hitting streak to 13 games and scored on Brock Holt's 10th-inning single to give visiting Boston a victory over Tampa Bay.

Sports on 06/27/2015

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