MLB Nightly 9: Scherzer fires second no-hitter in Nats history, Yankees stomp Tigers

Kirstie Chiappelli

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MLB Nightly 9: Scherzer fires second no-hitter in Nats history, Yankees stomp Tigers image

Each night we'll provide you with the nine top story lines from the day's action, beginning with the stars of the day, and look ahead to the next day's matchups.

It will take several years of sustained success for Max Scherzer to prove he's worth all of his $210 million deal, but Saturday's performance was certainly a major step toward achieving that goal.

The Nationals right-handed pitcher was just one strike away from a perfect game when he hit Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata on the elbow with an inside pitch. Still, Scherzer struck out 10 Pirates over nine innings in a spectacular no-hitter to hand Pittsburgh a 6-0 loss. He recorded at least 10 strikeouts in a game for the sixth time this season and tossed the second no-hitter in Nationals history.

MORE: Tigers' rotation stuck in neutral | Tabata not at fault for spoiling perfection

Scherzer wasn't the only National to have a successful outing. After straining his left hamstring Thursday night and sitting out Friday, outfielder Bryce Harper returned to bomb his career-high 23rd home run of the season. He added an RBI single to drive in Anthony Rendon in the sixth inning.

Here are more highlights from Saturday's games:

Impact Players:

C — Yadier Molina, Cardinals: Molina went 2 for 4 with a double and RBI in the Cardinals' blowout victory over the Phillies. He's now hitting .295 with a .341 on base percentage.

1B — Anthony Rizzo, Cubs: Rizzo finished 2 for 5 with a double and RBI as the Cubs topped the Twins. He has 14 home runs and 42 RBIs on the season.

2B — Jason Kipnis, Indians: Despite a loss to the Rays, Kipnis went 2 for 3 with a double to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. He's hitting .345 with five homers and 28 RBIs this season.

SS — Jose Reyes, Blue Jays: Reyes went 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored as the Blue Jays fell to the Orioles in Toronto. He's playing well this season, hitting .287 with two homers, 22 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 167 at-bats.

3B — Manny Machado, Orioles: Machado stayed hot Saturday, going 3 for 5 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs as he led the Orioles to victory. He has 14 homers, 36 RBIs and 11 stolen bases on the season.

OF — Randal Grichuk, Cardinals: Grichuk finished 3 for 5 with two homers, four RBIs and three runs scored.

DH —  Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: A-Rod homered and drove in five runs as the Yankees slaughtered the Tigers. He finished 2 for 3 at the plate with a walk and two runs scored.

SP — John Lackey, Cardinals: Lackey hurled seven innings of one-run ball in the Cardinals' rout of the Phillies. He allowed only five hits and two walks in his efficient outing, moving to 6-4 with a 3.41 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 14 starts this season.

Key Injuries:

Rays pitcher Erasmo Ramirez exited the game against the Indians early with a right groin strain. Xavier Cedeno took his place in the fourth inning.

Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval left the game against the Royals with a sprained left ankle. His leg buckled while making an errant throw to first base in the fifth inning. Blake Swihart also left with a sprained left foot after getting thrown out at third base.

Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud was removed from the game against the Braves with a hyperextended left elbow after colliding with A.J. Pierzynski at home plate. d'Arnaud was 2 for 3 with three RBIs before leaving the game. 

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was missing from the lineup again Saturday against the Mariners. It's the third straight game he's missed with hamstring discomfort.

Surprise Performers:

Good: Marlins pitcher Justin Nicolino, who pitched a spectacular game against the Reds in his major league debut, firing seven innings of shutout baseball in the 5-0 shut out. He struck out two and walked two on the way to his first career win.

Bad: Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello, who struggled in Boston's loss to the Royals, yielding six runs over five innings. He owns a 5.61 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP and a 67/21 K/BB ratio in 86 2/3 innings.

Web Gems:

Astros shortstop Carlos Correa has some serious ups.

Danny Espinosa's excellent play deep at second kept Scherzer's no-hit bid alive.

Facts of the Day:

Despite busting his perfect game, Scherzer still walked away with an impressive no-hitter.

Scherzer became the second pitcher in MLB history to lose perfect game after 8 2/3 innings on a hit batter after Giants' George Wiltse first did it in 1908. He also became the 13th pitcher in baseball history to lose a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning. The last player to do so was Yusmeiro Petit on Sept. 6, 2013.

The last no-hitter where the only baserunner was on a HBP was by Kevin Brown on June 10, 1997 against the Giants.

PHOTOS: Must-see of Bryce Harper

Scherzer's no-hitter comes a day after Alex Rodriguez recorded his 3,000th hit. Scherzer and Rodriguez share July 27 as a birthday, although A-Rod is nine years older. 

Since the start of 2013, the Astros have hit four home runs on the first pitch of a game while the Mariners have allowed four. Both are the most in the majors.

Both Boston and Detroit struggled Saturday.

Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson slugged another lengthy homer.

Reactions:

It was a good day for Max Scherzer.

"He tried to throw a slider inside, and it didn't break. It stayed right there," Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata said after being accused of spoiling Max Scherzer's perfect game, via MLB.com. "And he got me. He got me on the elbow, on the protection [his elbow pad]. I want to do my job.

"I know he's one of the best pitchers in the league, and he throws very good. He wanted to strike me out, but my job is to get on base any way I can. So when I saw the umpire make motion for me to go to first base, I'm, 'Oh, wow.' He got me, so he didn't throw a perfect game."

"I felt all right. I was in the lineup," Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper said of his return, via MLB.com. "That's what I wanted to do. This team needs me and I'm gonna cowboy up every single day I can play, and if I can't go that day then I'll let them know."

Off the Field:

In a surprising move, the Mariners hired Edgar Martinez as their hitting coach and reassigned Howard Johnson, the club's now-former hitting coach, to the minors.

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco will undergo season-ending hip surgery on June 29. He hadn't caught a game since April 12.

The Braves and Diamondbacks finalized a three-player trade Saturday night with Atlanta sending infielder Phil Gosselin to Arizona for right-handed pitchers Bronson Arroyo and Touki Toussaint. Arizona gave away its No. 5 prospect to dump Arroyo's $9.5 million contract.

Scores

American League:

Orioles 5, Blue Jays 3
White Sox 3, Rangers 2
Athletics 4, Angels, 1
Royals 7, Red Sox 4
Rays 4, Indians 1
Yankees 14, Tigers 3
Mariners 6, Astros 3

National League:

Nationals 6, Pirates 0
Rockies 5, Brewers 1
Cardinals 10, Phillies 1
Marlins 5, Reds 0
Braves 6, Mets 4
Giants 6, Dodgers 2
Padres 8, Diamondbacks 1

Interleague

Cubs 4, Twins 1

A Look Ahead: (All times ET)

Tigers (34-34) at Yankees (38-30) 1:05 p.m.: Following a 14-3 stomping, the Yankees will look to extend their three-game winning streak while the Tigers will look to snap a three-game skid. New York will send Masahiro Tanaka (4-2, 2.49 ERA) to the mound against Aníbal Sánchez (5-7, 4.65 ERA), who will try to put an end to Detroit's starting pitching woes.

Pirates (39-29) at Nationals (36-33) 1:35 p.m.: After falling to the Nationals in Max Scherzer's dominant outing, the Pirates will attempt to get back to their winning ways and avoid a three-game sweep. Gio Gonzalez (4-4, 4.82 ERA) will aim to continue the trend of phenomenal performances by Washington's starters while Charlie Morton (5-0, 1.62 ERA) will try to prolong the best stretch of his career.

Red Sox (30-40) at Royals (39-26) 2:10 p.m.: Riddled by injuries, the Red Sox will hope to avoid falling back into a losing pattern. Boston's Wade Miley (6-6, 4.88 ERA) will face off against Chris Young (6-2, 1.98 ERA) in the final game of their series.

Kirstie Chiappelli