Porcello (1-2) threw six solid innings but was outpitched by Scherzer (1-1) in a matchup of Cy Young Award winners and former Detroit teammates. When they opposed each other in Washington last week, Porcello won 3-1 and Scherzer exited after only one inning because of a sore hamstring that first popped up before his previous outing.
The right-hander was confident it wasn’t serious, and the Nationals said he felt good after a bullpen session between starts.
“I knew the hamstring wasn’t going to be an issue,” Scherzer said.
Grunting audibly while firing 95-96 mph fastballs to Wilson Ramos with the bases loaded, Scherzer needed a whopping 60 pitches to get through the initial two innings.
“I had 100-plus pitches in me, so I wasn’t worried at all,” he said. “Just continue to pound the zone.”
He stranded five runners early by striking out Ramos to end the first and Jeff McNeil to close the second.
“Was just getting back in the swing of things after really not pushing for 13 days there,” Scherzer said. “And you know, I give them credit. They had great ABs early in the game. They were able to grind me, and just a ton of foul balls.”
Things turned for the three-time Cy Young Award winner when Dominic Smith lined into a double play to end the third. Scherzer lasted six innings and threw only 45 pitches over his final four to finish with 105. He gave up six hits, struck out seven and walked two.