Giants at Nationals
Max Scherzer is bidding to win his third consecutive National League Cy Young Award and is threatening to turn the race into a runaway as he goes for his major league-leading 11th win on Sunday in the finale of a three-game series against the visiting San Francisco Giants. Scherzer has won nine consecutive decisions, including a 10-strikeout effort at San Francisco on April 25.
The Nationals leveled the series with a 7-5 victory Saturday, sparked by the return of leadoff hitter Adam Eaton, who scored twice in his first game since April 8. Bryce Harper became the first player in the NL to reach 19 homers, ending a seven-game drought in which he struck out 14 times and failed to register an extra-base hit. The Giants were unable to overcome an early five-run deficit in Saturday's setback but they have amassed 14 runs and 26 hits in the series. Catcher Nick Hundley had a three-run homer and RBI double as San Francisco lost for only the second time in its last nine games.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, NBCS Bay Area (San Francisco), MASN2 (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Derek Holland (3-6, 4.91 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Max Scherzer (10-1, 1.95)
Holland has failed to pitch beyond five innings in seven of his 12 starts and lasted only four innings last time out, settling for a no-decision after giving up two runs and four hits against Arizona. His road ERA (4.50) is a more than a run lower than at AT&T Park (5.55) but he also has served up seven homers in 38 innings away from home. Eaton is 2-for-5 against Holland, who will make his first career start versus Washington.
Scherzer won his third straight start with eight overpowering innings against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, striking out 13 and allowing two runs on five hits. It marked the ninth time he has recorded at least 10 strikeouts, including 12 in eight scoreless innings at Baltimore on May 30. Scherzer has split eight career decisions against the Giants, but he has shackled Andrew McCutchen, who is 4-for-25 with 14 strikeouts.
WALK-OFFS
1. Washington placed RHP Stephen Strasburg on the 10-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation.
2. McCutchen has five two-hit contests during a six-game hitting streak.
3. Nationals RHP Brandon Kintzler will undergo an MRI exam after exiting Saturday's game due to forearm tightness.