Scherzer left frustrated after lead escapes in 7-3 loss

After rolling off five straight victories, Nationals ace Max Scherzer was bound to hit a bump in the road. It just didn't figure to come from Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar, who tagged Scherzer for two costly homers in the Nats' 7-3 loss in Game 2 of Tuesday's split doubleheader.

Through 52 games this year, Pillar hit two homers. By the sixth inning tonight, the 26-year-old had matched his season total of longballs. The hardest part for Scherzer was both of Pillar's blasts came with two outs.

"The first home run (in the second), it was a 3-2 count, I just wanted to attack with a fastball," Scherzer said. "I threw a good fastball and it just leaked on the inside part of the plate. He just put a good swing on it. You don't beat yourself up over that in that situation."

The Nats overcame the first of Pillar's taters to take a 3-1 lead into the sixth inning. Scherzer breezed through the first batters of the frame before left fielder Danny Valencia sliced a liner into the gap in right-center field. On a full run, Bryce Harper made a bid to end the inning with a sliding grab, but the ball bounced off the heel of his glove and Valencia ended up with a double. Scherzer then battled with pinch-hitter Justin Smoak before surrendering a walk on the seventh pitch of the at-bat.

That brought Pillar - who had already homered and singled in his previous two appearances against Scherzer on the night to the plate. Scherzer fell behind and then hung a slider that Pillar belted over the left field wall for a three-run homer to push the Blue Jays ahead for good.

"The 3-1 bomb, that's the stuff that leaves you frustrated in your start," Scherzer said. "You want to close the door in that situation with two outs. To let them capture a lead in that situation, that's frustrating because we're ahead in that situation. If we can just continue to keep the momentum on our side, usually good things happen. Unfortunately, I hung a slider in that situation, and he put a great swing on it and made me pay."

Right-hander Blake Treinen took over for Scherzer to start the seventh and the game unraveled. Treinen was only able to record two outs, as the Blue Jays poured in three more runs on three hits and a walk.

Nationals manager Matt Williams gave Ryan Zimmerman the nighcap off, starting Tyler Moore at first base. The 28-year-old reserve delivered by driving in two runs on an RBI double and a sacrifice fly.

Moore was just as shocked to see Scherzer taken deep twice to lose the lead.

"The guy's just been unbelievable for us," Moore said. "He just turns it on whenever he needs to. If he gives up a hit, you're like, 'How'd he do that?' You know, he's just a really good pitcher. It was definitely a surprise for Pillar to get those two homers off of him. You gotta tip your hat to him. It just wasn't our night with that."

Meanwhile, Williams wasn't concerned with Scherzer's performance after the loss.

"A couple of swings of the bat and it's a different story," he said. "You know, Pillar accounted for their first four runs. He gets those two outs there, it's a completely different game. But that's the way baseball goes sometimes. So he's not gonna change the way he goes about it. He'll go battle and most of the time he's really good."

Scherzer falls to 6-4 on the season with a 1.85 ERA.

Right-hander Taylor Jordan will make his first start of the season in Wednesday's series finale. In 14 previous starts for the Nationals, Jordan is 1-6 with a 4.31 ERA.