Scherzer nearly goes the distance as Nationals beat Padres 5-1

With the reigning Cy Young Award winner on the mound and one of the National League's least productive lineups at the plate, you could be excused for showing up at Nationals Park tonight fully expecting to witness something historic.

In the end, there was no history. A run-of-the-mill Max Scherzer gem would have to suffice.

Scherzer nearly went the distance, allowing only three hits while striking out 13 in 8 2/3 innings and leading the Nationals to a 5-1 victory over the Padres, a result that - if we're being honest - looked awfully predictable before the game's first pitch was ever thrown.

San Diego came to town ranking last or second-to-last in the NL in runs, hits, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. Scherzer ... well, he's one of the best pitchers in baseball, owner of two Cy Young Awards, two no-hitters and a 20-strikeout game.

Scherzer was in complete control from the get-go. He struck out leadoff man Allen Córdoba on four pitches and proceeded from there.

Ryan Schimpf did hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth, driving a 1-2 changeup into the right field bullpen, but that was the only real blemish on Scherzer's pitching line. He struck out the side in the third, retired 14 in a row at one point and made life awfully easy on acting manager Chris Speier for most of the night.

Speier, filling in for Dusty Baker this weekend while the regular skipper attends his son's high school graduation in California, noted this afternoon he could avoid a potentially testy mound visit with Scherzer if the fiery right-hander could just pitch a complete game. Even if it required 200 pitches, Speier joked.

Well, as it turned out Speier did need to make two trips to the mound after Scherzer allowed a one-out single and a four-pitch walk in the top of the ninth. Scherzer, as he has been known to do, convinced his manager to make the walk back to the dugout.

The crowd of 28,606 roared as Scherzer struck out Wil Myers but then groanded at his 2-2 pitch clipped Schimpf and left the bases loaded for Hunter Renfroe. The tying run at the plate, Speier had no choice but to pull his starter and summon Koda Glover for what had suddenly turned into a save situation. Glover struck out Renfroe and finished this one off.

The Nationals provided their pitchers with a comfortable lead thanks to three long balls.

Trea Turner led off the bottom of the first with a drive to center field, his first career homer against the franchise that drafted and then traded him. Michael A. Taylor added a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, sending a pitch from starter Luis Perdomo deep to left-center.

Bryce Harper then put the finishing touches on this one, launching a 3-2 pitch from reliever Kirby Yates into the first row of the third deck down the right field line. Harper, who had only four hits in his previous 32 at-bats, ended that mini-slump in dramatic fashion and forced some poor stadium worker to show up early Saturday and paint that seat red to match the other third-deck homers in the ballpark's history.