Almost perfect, Max Scherzer throws no-hitter in Nats' 6-0 win

Max Scherzer's dominance from last Sunday's one-hit shutout has carried over into today's start. Scherzer has retired the first 12 Pirates he's faced. He whiffed the side in the fourth, with Andrew McCutchen the final victim to go down swinging. Scherzer has struck out 21 batters in his last 13 innings.

Bryce Harper put the Nationals on the scoreboard with a leadoff bomb in the bottom of the fourth. The solo shot landed up in the grassy batter's eye area behind the wall in dead center field at Nats Park. It was Harper's 23rd homer, a new single-season career high.

Update: Scherzer rolled through the fifth and sixth innings without allowing a baserunner. He earned his seventh strikeout when Pirates starter Francisco Liriano missed a changeup to end the sixth.

He lost his perfect game bid last Sunday on a bloop single in the seventh.

Scherzer is now perfect through six innings.

Update II: The Nats gave Scherzer some major breathing room in the bottom of the sixth. Span should've been the second out of the frame when Liriano got him swinging but Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli couldn't find the ball and Span reached first safely. He then stole second to put himself in scoring position for Anthony Rendon's RBI double.

Harper followed by taking Liriano the opposite way with a single to left, scoring Rendon on a leaping headfirst slide to the plate.

After Wilson Ramos reached on an infield single, Tyler Moore ripped a two-out two-run single up the middle.

Update III: Scherzer is perfect through seven innings. He struck out Starling Marte and McCutchen to finish off the seventh at 78 pitches.

Update IV: Michael A. Taylor led of the seveth with a double. Scherzer dropped a sacrifice bunt down to move Taylor to third where he scored on a wild pitch moments later.

Scherzer whiffed Cervelli for his 10th strikeout in the eighth. A beautiflul play from Danny Espinosa ranging to his right on a hard hit grounder ended the frame as Scherzer stalked off the mound three outs away from perfection.

The Nationals lead the Pirates 6-0 in the eighth. The game is airing on MASN2.

Update V: We have a no-hitter, but we were oh-so close to perfection. One strike away from a perfect game, pinch-hitter Jose Tabata was grazed on the elbow by Schezer's pitch and became the Pirates' first baserunner.

However, he couldn't move past first as Josh Harrison flew out to left field to end the game, and the Nats' celebration began.

Scherzer has the second no-hitter in Nats' history.

Nats win 6-0 in historic no-hit fashion.