Washington: Max Scherzer retired the first 16 batters he faced and threw seven innings of two-hit ball, striking out 11 in a pitching masterpiece that carried the Washington Nationals past the Chicago Cubs 4-1 Monday night.
Scherzer’s bid for his third career no-hitter ended with one out in the sixth when Addison Russell homered on a 3-2 pitch. The only other batter to reach against Scherzer (8-4) was Anthony Rizzo, who doubled in the seventh.
Facing the team with the best record in the majors, Scherzer became the 26th pitcher in baseball history to have 40 games with at least 10 strikeouts. He has won three straight starts, allowing only three runs over 22 innings.
Shawn Kelley got five outs for his first save. Wilson Ramos hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning for the NL East-leading Nationals, who have won four straight and seven of eight. Kyle Hendricks (4-6) gave up four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
In Kansas City, Whit Merrifield hit his first career homer, Edinson Volquez tossed seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball and Kansas City beat Cleveland 2-1 to end a five-game skid against the Indians.
Alcides Escobar also drove in a run for the Royals, who have won three in a row after an eight-game losing streak. They also won their seventh consecutive game at Kauffman Stadium.
In Chicago, Adam Eaton singled home the winning run in the 12th inning for his fourth hit of the night, and Chicago rallied from seven runs down in a wild 10-9 victory over Detroit.
J.B. Shuck led off the 12th with a double down the first-base line and advanced on Tim Anderson’s sacrifice. With the infield playing in, Eaton bounced a grounder up the middle against Anibal Sanchez (3-7).
