Nationals 4, Padres 1
SAN DIEGO -- Right-hander Max Scherzer held the Padres scoreless on four hits over seven innings and Washington jumped on Padres starter Andrew Cashner for three runs in the first inning Saturday night as the Nationals defeated the Padres 4-1 at Petco Park.
Scherzer (4-3) struck out a season-high 11 while lowering his earned run average to 1.75. He retired the first 10 hitters he faced. It was his third double-digit strikeout game in his last four outings.
The Padres, who entered the game ranked third in runs scored in the National League, were scoreless until Alexi Amarista hit a run-scoring single with two out in the ninth off right-handed reliever Aaron Barrett. Right-hander Drew Storen got the final out for his 11th save.
The Padres had gone scoreless in 21 straight innings.
Cashner fell to 1-7 despite a 3.24 earned run average. The Padres have scored one run in his last three starts and three in his last five while being shut out three times.
The Nationals stopped a major-league record streak by scoring three runs off Cashner in the first.
Cashner entered the game having gone 21 straight starts at Petco Park without allowing more than two earned runs in a game -- the longest such home streak ever.
With one out in the first, Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond singled and scored on a single to right by third baseman Yunel Escobar, who advanced to second on right fielder Matt Kemp's throwing error.
Escobar advanced to third on right fielder Bryce Harper's singled and scored on first baseman Ryan Zimmerman's ground out to second. Harper scored to make it 3-0 when catcher Wilson Ramos singled to center to extend his hitting streak to a major league-best 18 straight games.
The Nationals threatened in the second and third.
In the second, Washington had runners on first and second with one out when Michael Taylor was thrown out try to steal third by Padres rookie catcher Austin Hedges -- the first caught stealing throw in Hedges' career.
In the third, the Nationals had runners at first and second with none out when Padres second baseman Cory Spangenberg made a diving stop to his right to start a double play.
But the Nationals widened the lead to 4-0 in the fourth thanks to a wild throw by Cashner.
With one out and second baseman Danny Espinosa on first with a walk, Scherzer bunted back toward the mound. Cashner fielded the ball and threw so wildly to second that center fielder Will Venable had to make a diving stop to prevent the throw from rolling toward the fence.
Espinosa scored on center fielder Denard Span's sacrifice fly to left.
Cashner worked six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings.
Meanwhile, Scherzer retired the first 10 Padres he faced, getting five on strikes, before Venable walked with one out in the fourth. Kemp followed with a single and first baseman Yangervis Solarte drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. But third baseman Will Middlebrooks popped out to second on the first pitch to end the threat.
Venable got the Padres second hit, a one-out double in the sixth, which was the Padres first extra-base hit in 19 innings.
NOTES: The Padres learned Saturday that "original Padre" OF Ollie Brown died. Brown was San Diego's first pick in the draft to stock the 1969 expansion Padres with players. ... Washington LF Jayson Werth won't play at least until Tuesday after being hit on the left wrist by a pitch Friday night. He will have an MRI when the swelling goes down. ... The injury that placed Nationals RHP Doug Fister on the 15-day disabled list Friday was described as a flexor strain. ... Padres OF Melvin Upton Jr., who has been on the disabled list since the start of the season with a foot injury, will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso on Monday. ... Padres manager Bud Black said RHP Odrisamer Despaigne, who has given up 15 runs and 20 hits in eight innings in his last two starts, will make at least one more start, although he might be pushed back in the rotation.