Scherzer's first 12 outings with the Nats produced a 2.13 ERA, but his last two have been truly special. First, there was the 16-strikeout one-hitter on June 14 at Milwaukee. Then, there was the no-hitter Saturday against Pittsburgh. In that game, Scherzer came within one pitch of a perfect game before hitting Jose Tabata. Between the two starts: 57 batters faced, 54 retired.
Scherzer's 197 combined game score over those outings (100, then 97) is the highest for consecutive nine-inning starts since at least 1914.