Max Scherzer named NL Player of the Week

Scherzer is just the sixth pitcher in Major League Baseball history to achieve the milestone in the same year and he did it against a Mets team that had already locked up the National League East Division title.

“Ninety wins is a big step – a huge step – from where we’ve been”, Mets manager Terry Collins said. He made all the pitches he had to make. The only Mets’ base runner of the night came in the bottom of the sixth, when Kevin Plawecki reached on a throwing error from Nationals’ third baseman Yunel Escobar. Scherzer is the first pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1973 to throw two no-hitters in the same regular season, and the fifth to do it in major-league history.

“Just a play that didn’t get made”, Scherzer said.

Encarnacion put the Blue Jays up 3-1 on his 39th homer this season, a two-run shot off Brandon Gomes in the sixth. “But Dee Gordon is such a great hitter and he had over 200 hits and I tip my cap to him”.

Yet another record was broken on Saturday night, which was 35 total strikeouts by both teams in a nine-inning game.

The Dodgers’ win combined with Washington’s doubleheader sweep of the Mets (89-72) ensured Los Angeles (91-70) will open the Division Series at home Friday against New York starter Jacob deGrom. He also pitched a no-no in Washington on June 20 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The no-hitter against the Mets came almost one year after right-hander Jordan Zimmermann threw the first no-hitter in Nationals history, at home September 28, 2014 against the Marlins. The game was headlined by a dominating performance from Nationals ace Max Scherzer, who struck out 17 Mets en route to his second no hitter of the season. Ramos has caught three no-hitters since the end of last season. “I don’t know what to say”. “Yuni goes out there and competes as hard as anybody, I know that”.

Always animated, Scherzer pumped his fist after a few strikeouts, stalked around the mounds and sometimes seemed to be talking to himself for encouragement. Ross Ohlendorf (3-1) relieved and allowed Albert Pujols’ double. When I needed to get the ball out of the zone for effect, I was able to.

Pitching in the nightcap of a double-header, Scherzer did have the benefit of facing the Mets’ B lineup (regulars Yoenis Cespedes, David Wright, Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy were on the bench). Granderson’s soft pop finished it.

Saturday, Scherzer did it, although as he reflected on the moment, the Mets logos behind him served as reminders that while he gave the Nationals one memorable night in October, they were supposed to have far more.

Colon threw eight stellar innings at Citi Field against the Dodgers by surrendering only one run and struck out four in a losing effort as the Mets were blanked that day on July 23.

The Nationals won the opener when Harper connected off Addison Reed (3-3). It was Harper’s 42nd homer. He went 2-0 with one run and two hits and 27 strikeouts in 17 innings last week.

Finally given an opportunity, Jeurys Familia earned his 43rd save with a scoreless ninth.

In the first game, Bryce Harper launched a tie-breaking, two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning to lift the Nationals to a 3-1 win.

“You look back on the year and you wish you were in the postseason”, Harper said; “That’s the main goal when you start out, and it’s a bummer that we didn’t get there this year”. It got a lot of chuckles, people thinking it’s just talk, so it’s nice to go out there and back up that talk. The 24-year-old rookie is 4-0. He missed two months because of a partial muscle tear on his left side earlier this season, and hasn’t pitched in a game since September 24. With that locked up, the Mets have nothing left to do but play a regular season game and get ready for that series.