Harper homers, Scherzer goes 8 strong to push Nationals' winning streak to 6 games
Bryce Harper is becoming the most feared hitter in baseball.
The Nationals outfielder hit his 11th home run in the last 14 games and Max Scherzer tossed eight innings of one-run ball, as Washington edged the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on Friday night to push their winning streak to six games.
Harper's second-inning solo blast evened the game at 1-1. He finished 1-for-2 with a walk.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Harper and manager Matt Williams marked his National league-leading 16th long ball with a synchronized celebration.
The 22-year-old has feasted on Phillies starter Sean O'Sullivan this season, taking him deep three times.
Scherzer took it from there, allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out six over eight innings. The 2013 American League Cy Young Award winner has now won four consecutive starts, and is only the second Nats hurler to complete seven innings in seven straight starts. Livan Hernandez had an eight-start streak in 2005.
Max Scherzer's first nine starts with the #Nats: 1.67 ERA, 2.01 FIP, 64.2 IP, 9 BB, 72 K, 3 HR. That'll work.
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) May 23, 2015
Scherzer also contributed offensively, singling and scoring all the way from first on a double by Ian Desmond in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the Nats up 2-1.
The Nationals will send the struggling Stephen Strasburg to the hill Saturday in the second game of the series. The Phillies will counter with ace Cole Hamels.
Washington has won 18 of its last 22 games to increase its lead to 1 1/2 games over the New York Mets in the National League East.