The Baltimore Orioles headed into Wednesday’s game having scored just two runs over their last 26 innings, and with Max Scherzer on the mound for the Nationals, they didn’t have much of an opportunity to reverse that trend. The imposing ace had his way with the Birds lineup, holding them to two hits over eight scoreless innings.
Scherzer lost his perfect game in the second inning, when the struggling Chris Davis singled to left field, but Manny Machado was the only other Oriole to get a hit off the reigning Cy Young Award winner. Closer Sean Doolittle found trouble in the ninth, allowing Craig Gentry and Adam Jones to reach base, but it wasn’t enough for the Birds to avoid a 2-0 loss.