WASHINGTON (AP) – On another eventful afternoon at Nationals Park, Washington right-hander Max Scherzer came within five outs of his second no-hitter of the season, shutting down the Cincinnati Reds into the eighth inning while striking out 10 batters in a 5-1 victory Monday, hours after closer Jonathan Papelbon was suspended for fighting with Bryce Harper a day earlier.
Scherzer did not allow a hit until Tucker Barnhart singled to left field on a 1-2 count with one out in the eighth. That came on Scherzer’s 105th pitch, and fans at the stadium rose to salute the right-hander with a standing ovation. To that point, the Reds only had three baserunners, on walks in the first, third and seventh innings.
Barnhart wound up scoring on Skip Schumaker’s single, the only other hit allowed by Scherzer (13-12), who left after the eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth, chants of “We want Bryce!” rang out in the stadium. Harper, a leading NL MVP contender, was not in the lineup.
Manager Matt Williams said that was because of Harper’s “part in the altercation” with Papelbon in Washington’s dugout during a game Sunday. Harper, though, said after Sunday’s game he was scheduled to be off Monday.