Scherzer good for Nats, Nola better in 2-0 Phillies win

On this day, in a battle of National League Cy Young candidates, Max Scherzer was good, but Aaron Nola was just a little bit better.

Scherzer went seven innings, allowing only a two-run homer by Odúbel Herrera in the seventh that lifted the Phillies past the Nationals 2-0, preventing a three-game sweep.

Scherzer allowed just one other hit, struck out 10 and walked four. He threw 109 pitches, 65 for strikes. It was the 14th time this season he has stuck out 10 or more batters in a game and the 78th time in his career.

Scherzer said the cutter did not end up where he had hoped in the Herrera at-bat and he battled searching for his proper arm slot all day.

"Just execution. I wanted to get that pitch up and in," Scherzer said. "That's a pitch I have success with. And it just backed up on me and was out over the plate and he put a great swing on it. That was the one pitch that beat me, but I was kind of inconsistent all day."

Scherzer walked a season-high four batters. He said that was most frustrating because he had gotten ahead in the count and was unable to finish at-bats.

"I was searching for an arm slot," he said. "Just wasn't able to quite put away some of the hitters after I got to a 1-2 count. Three of the walks were after a 1-2 count. So I just got to find the efficiency to be able to find the out pitch in that situation so that we're getting the hitters out 1-2, 2-2 instead of letting the at-bat drag on and eventually ending up with a walk."

Scherzer (16-6) commented for the first time on the trades of veterans Daniel Murphy and Matt Adams on Tuesday.

"It's frustrating," Scherzer said. "But it's also been a frustrating season for us as whole. It is what it is."

Nationals manager Davey Martinez said the walks by Scherzer were surprising. But Scherzer did go the first six innings without allowing a run. The Phillies didn't get their first hit until the fifth. With one out, Jorge Alfaro singled. Scherzer then recorded two outs to get out of the inning. He struck out six batters in the first four innings.

"He was good. Uncharacteristic, he walked four guys," Martinez said. "But he battled. He was good. He gave us some good innings there. We battled back, had some chances early to pick up a point and couldn't do it. We had some chances to score some big runs and couldn't do it. In Nola's defense, he's good."

Nola (15-3) wasn't just good; he was really good. He struck out nine batters over eight innings, allowing five hits, and walked only one.

His curveball was causing fits for Nationals batters all day. Catcher Spencer Kieboom doubled off of Nola to lead off the third, but the Nats could not get him home.

"It's not one of those where it's necessarily hard to see, he just does a good job of changing speeds with it," Kieboom said. "The speed's consistent, but it's a slower curveball and it doesn't pop out of the hand. That's what makes it so effective, I feel like."

The best chance for the Nats came in the eighth. Nola quickly notched a pair of outs. But then Adam Eaton doubled and Trea Turner battled to a walk. With two men on and his club down two late in the game, the crowd of 29,475 roared as slugger Bryce Harper stepped in.

Nola fed him three straight curveballs, then two four-seam fastballs for the strikeout. On the 2-2 pitch, Nola fired a 95 mph fastball, his fastest pitch of the afternoon, on pitch No. 102. Harper swung and missed to end the frame. He finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

"I'm just trying to get something over the plate," Harper said. "Nola was really good today. Ever since the second half started and earlier in the year, as well. He was absolutely lights out. You're going to have those days where a guy goes out there and does his job and it's tough being on the other side, but special. Special."

The Nats wanted the sweep, but they still leave for New York with a series win. They are desperate to rack up as many victories and series wins as they can with the season barreling towards an end.

"Play good baseball," Scherzer said. "Keep it going. We've been playing good baseball and we just got to do this every single day. You got to win every single day and go out there. Just go 1-0 every single day."