The San Diego Padres knew they had their work cut out for them against Max Scherzer, and Saturday’s game played out almost exactly the way they were trying to avoid.
Scherzer was more than impressive, pitching seven fantastic innings to give the Washington Nationals a 4-1 victory over the Padres.
He kept San Diego off the scoreboard, striking out nine hitters in the process. Scherzer allowed only six hits and one walk—and the walk was intentional.
The Padres simply could not get anything put together against the veteran. San Diego batters were just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving eight men on base.