MIAMI -- Max Scherzer slept funny, which is why he wasn't smiling when he left Tuesday's game in the second inning with neck spasms.
The NL All-Star starter hit his first career homer to help build a six-run lead, but the Miami Marlins rallied against the Washington Nationals' bullpen to win 7-6 on Tuesday.
Scherzer said he woke up with a stiff neck a couple of days earlier, and it became more bothersome when the game began.
"It hurt when I turned to look left," he said. "In the first inning I could tell I wasn't right. It was hard for me to pick up the target. When I went out in the second inning, I could tell it had tightened up even more, and I knew it was time to pull the chute."
Scherzer said the issue's not serious, and added he didn't aggravate it hitting his homer.
"You know it had to be something for him to come out of a game up six runs," manager Dusty Baker said. "We're just glad it wasn't his arm."
After Scherzer stunned his teammates with his home run, he threw a pitch to the backstop warming up for the second inning and walked off the mound pointing to his neck and shaking his head. Manager Dusty Baker came out of the dugout to meet Scherzer, who said, "I can't go."
That was all the opening the Marlins needed, even down 6-0.
"Losing him early, gives you hope that you can get back in a little bit," Miami manager Don Mattingly said. "Not that you can't do it with him, but the chances aren't very good."
The Marlins took the lead with a four-run fifth inning. Marcell Ozuna hit a three-run homer off Matt Albers (5-2), and Derek Dietrich's RBI triple put Miami ahead 7-6.
Six pitchers combined to blank Washington over the final 7 2/3 innings. Dustin McGowan (7-1) pitched two scoreless innings during Miami's comeback.
Brad Ziegler, promoted to closer after A.J. Ramos was traded last week, pitched the ninth and worked around a pair of two-out singles for his 86th career save and first this year. Ryan Zimmerman grounded out to end the game.
Ziegler had been sidelined since June 20 because of a strained back.
"I had a lot of adrenaline, a lot more than usual because I hadn't faced a big league hitter in six weeks," he said.
Howie Kendrick hit his first homer since being acquired Friday by Washington and went 5 for 5.
CAREER FIRST
Scherzer pitched a 1-2-3 first inning, and in the top of the second he hit a three-run homer -- his first in 262 career at-bats.
"Not being able to look left actually helped on my swing," Scherzer said with a chuckle. "I didn't pull my head out. I had to stay locked in, and that gave me a better swing, and that's the reason I hit a home run."
Scherzer pulled an 0-2 slider into the first row in left field, and Baker laughed as he watched his ace circle the bases. When Scherzer returned to the dugout, teammates gave him the silent treatment, so he high-fived the air before being mobbed with congratulations.
"I put a one-in-a-million swing on it," Scherzer said. "I'll make sure my teammates know I hit a home run for a while. I'll probably have shirts made."
But for the Nationals, the game wasn't a laugher for long.
The second-place Marlins still trail the NL East-leading Nationals by 13 games. Injury-plagued Miami took another hit with the announcement that opening day starter Edinson Volquez will undergo Tommy John surgery Friday.
EN ROUTE
Former Minnesota Twins All-Star right-hander Brandon Kintzler, acquired by the Nationals in a trade Monday, is expected to join them Wednesday. He's the third reliever obtained by the team since mid-July.
UP NEXT
Nationals RHP A.J. Cole (1-0, 1.50) will be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to start the rubber game of the series Wednesday against RHP Vance Worley (0-2, 6.42). Cole's only previous major league outing this year was May 6 against Philadelphia.
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
The NL All-Star starter hit his first career homer to help build a six-run lead, but the Miami Marlins rallied against the Washington Nationals' bullpen to win 7-6 on Tuesday.
Scherzer said he woke up with a stiff neck a couple of days earlier, and it became more bothersome when the game began.
"It hurt when I turned to look left," he said. "In the first inning I could tell I wasn't right. It was hard for me to pick up the target. When I went out in the second inning, I could tell it had tightened up even more, and I knew it was time to pull the chute."
Scherzer said the issue's not serious, and added he didn't aggravate it hitting his homer.
"You know it had to be something for him to come out of a game up six runs," manager Dusty Baker said. "We're just glad it wasn't his arm."
After Scherzer stunned his teammates with his home run, he threw a pitch to the backstop warming up for the second inning and walked off the mound pointing to his neck and shaking his head. Manager Dusty Baker came out of the dugout to meet Scherzer, who said, "I can't go."
That was all the opening the Marlins needed, even down 6-0.
"Losing him early, gives you hope that you can get back in a little bit," Miami manager Don Mattingly said. "Not that you can't do it with him, but the chances aren't very good."
The Marlins took the lead with a four-run fifth inning. Marcell Ozuna hit a three-run homer off Matt Albers (5-2), and Derek Dietrich's RBI triple put Miami ahead 7-6.
Six pitchers combined to blank Washington over the final 7 2/3 innings. Dustin McGowan (7-1) pitched two scoreless innings during Miami's comeback.
Brad Ziegler, promoted to closer after A.J. Ramos was traded last week, pitched the ninth and worked around a pair of two-out singles for his 86th career save and first this year. Ryan Zimmerman grounded out to end the game.
Ziegler had been sidelined since June 20 because of a strained back.
"I had a lot of adrenaline, a lot more than usual because I hadn't faced a big league hitter in six weeks," he said.
Howie Kendrick hit his first homer since being acquired Friday by Washington and went 5 for 5.
CAREER FIRST
Scherzer pitched a 1-2-3 first inning, and in the top of the second he hit a three-run homer -- his first in 262 career at-bats.
"Not being able to look left actually helped on my swing," Scherzer said with a chuckle. "I didn't pull my head out. I had to stay locked in, and that gave me a better swing, and that's the reason I hit a home run."
Scherzer pulled an 0-2 slider into the first row in left field, and Baker laughed as he watched his ace circle the bases. When Scherzer returned to the dugout, teammates gave him the silent treatment, so he high-fived the air before being mobbed with congratulations.
"I put a one-in-a-million swing on it," Scherzer said. "I'll make sure my teammates know I hit a home run for a while. I'll probably have shirts made."
But for the Nationals, the game wasn't a laugher for long.
The second-place Marlins still trail the NL East-leading Nationals by 13 games. Injury-plagued Miami took another hit with the announcement that opening day starter Edinson Volquez will undergo Tommy John surgery Friday.
EN ROUTE
Former Minnesota Twins All-Star right-hander Brandon Kintzler, acquired by the Nationals in a trade Monday, is expected to join them Wednesday. He's the third reliever obtained by the team since mid-July.
UP NEXT
Nationals RHP A.J. Cole (1-0, 1.50) will be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to start the rubber game of the series Wednesday against RHP Vance Worley (0-2, 6.42). Cole's only previous major league outing this year was May 6 against Philadelphia.
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
7:10PM,EDT,August 1,2017
Marlins Park, Miami,Florida
Marlins Park, Miami,Florida
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Washington - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Chris O'Grady pitching for Miami | WSH | MIA |
| Difo struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Kendrick singled to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Harper flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Zimmerman lined out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Miami - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Max Scherzer pitching for Washington | WSH | MIA |
| Gordon grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Stanton popped out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Yelich grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Chris O'Grady pitching for Miami | WSH | MIA |
| Murphy doubled to deep right. | 0 | 0 |
| Rendon doubled to left center, Murphy scored. | 1 | 0 |
| Wieters grounded out to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Goodwin reached on infield single to first, Rendon to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Scherzer homered to left (381 feet), Rendon and Goodwin scored. | 4 | 0 |
| Difo singled to left. | 4 | 0 |
| Kendrick homered to center (415 feet), Difo scored. | 6 | 0 |
| Harper grounded out to second. | 6 | 0 |
| Zimmerman struck out swinging. | 6 | 0 |
| 6 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Miami - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Matt Grace pitching for Washington | WSH | MIA |
| Grace relieved Scherzer. | 6 | 0 |
| Ozuna grounded out to pitcher. | 6 | 0 |
| Realmuto flied out to right. | 6 | 0 |
| Dietrich walked. | 6 | 0 |
| Telis lined out to center. | 6 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Chris O'Grady pitching for Miami | WSH | MIA |
| Murphy flied out to center. | 6 | 0 |
| Rendon fouled out to shortstop. | 6 | 0 |
| Wieters walked. | 6 | 0 |
| Goodwin walked, Wieters to second. | 6 | 0 |
| Grace struck out looking. | 6 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Miami - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Matt Grace pitching for Washington | WSH | MIA |
| Rojas tripled to deep right center. | 6 | 0 |
| Ellis hit for O'Grady. | 6 | 0 |
| Ellis struck out swinging. | 6 | 0 |
| Gordon grounded out to second, Rojas scored. | 6 | 1 |
| Stanton walked. | 6 | 1 |
| Yelich grounded out to first. | 6 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Brian Ellington pitching for Miami | WSH | MIA |
| Ellington relieved O'Grady. | 6 | 1 |
| Difo fouled out to left. | 6 | 1 |
| Kendrick singled to right. | 6 | 1 |
| Harper struck out swinging. | 6 | 1 |
| Kendrick caught stealing second, catcher to second. | 6 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Miami - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Matt Grace pitching for Washington | WSH | MIA |
| Ozuna singled to left center. | 6 | 1 |
| Realmuto walked, Ozuna to second. | 6 | 1 |
| Dietrich grounded out to second, Ozuna to third, Realmuto to second. | 6 | 1 |
| Telis hit sacrifice fly to center, Ozuna scored. | 6 | 2 |
| Rojas singled to center, Realmuto scored, Rojas to second advancing on throw. | 6 | 3 |
| Solís relieved Grace. | 6 | 3 |
| Moore hit for Ellington. | 6 | 3 |
| Moore struck out looking. | 6 | 3 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Dustin McGowan pitching for Miami | WSH | MIA |
| McGowan relieved Ellington. | 6 | 3 |
| Zimmerman flied out to left. | 6 | 3 |
| Murphy grounded out to second. | 6 | 3 |
| Rendon walked. | 6 | 3 |
| Wieters grounded out to second. | 6 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Miami - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Sammy Solis pitching for Washington | WSH | MIA |
| Gordon singled to right. | 6 | 3 |
| Stanton walked, Gordon to second. | 6 | 3 |
| Yelich flied out to center. | 6 | 3 |
| Albers relieved Solís. | 6 | 3 |
| Ozuna homered to left (396 feet), Gordon and Stanton scored. | 6 | 6 |
| Realmuto singled to shallow left. | 6 | 6 |
| Dietrich tripled to deep center, Realmuto scored. | 6 | 7 |
| Telis grounded out to second. | 6 | 7 |
| Rojas grounded out to shortstop. | 6 | 7 |
| 4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Dustin McGowan pitching for Miami | WSH | MIA |
| Goodwin grounded out to second. | 6 | 7 |
| Stevenson hit for Albers. | 6 | 7 |
| Stevenson grounded out to shortstop. | 6 | 7 |
| Difo grounded out to shortstop. | 6 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Miami - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Oliver Perez pitching for Washington | WSH | MIA |
| Pérez relieved Albers. | 6 | 7 |
| Worley hit for McGowan. | 6 | 7 |
| Worley grounded out to shortstop. | 6 | 7 |
| Gordon grounded out to second. | 6 | 7 |
| Stanton singled to left. | 6 | 7 |
| Yelich struck out swinging. | 6 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Drew Steckenrider pitching for Miami | WSH | MIA |
| Steckenrider relieved McGowan. | 6 | 7 |
| Kendrick reached on infield single to shortstop. | 6 | 7 |
| Harper struck out swinging. | 6 | 7 |
| Zimmerman struck out looking. | 6 | 7 |
| Murphy fouled out to catcher. | 6 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Miami - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Joe Blanton pitching for Washington | WSH | MIA |
| Blanton relieved Pérez. | 6 | 7 |
| Ozuna singled to right. | 6 | 7 |
| Realmuto struck out swinging. | 6 | 7 |
| Dietrich struck out looking. Ozuna caught stealing second, catcher to shortstop. | 6 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Junichi Tazawa pitching for Miami | WSH | MIA |
| Tazawa relieved Steckenrider. | 6 | 7 |
| Rendon grounded out to third. | 6 | 7 |
| Wieters lined out to center. | 6 | 7 |
| Goodwin flied out to left. | 6 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Miami - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Joe Blanton pitching for Washington | WSH | MIA |
| Telis lined out to center. | 6 | 7 |
| Rojas grounded out to shortstop. | 6 | 7 |
| Suzuki hit for Tazawa. | 6 | 7 |
| Suzuki lined out to center. | 6 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Brad Ziegler pitching for Miami | WSH | MIA |
| Ziegler relieved Tazawa. | 6 | 7 |
| Lind hit for Blanton. | 6 | 7 |
| Lind flied out to center. | 6 | 7 |
| Difo grounded out to second. | 6 | 7 |
| Kendrick singled to left. | 6 | 7 |
| Harper singled to right, Kendrick to third. | 6 | 7 |
| Zimmerman grounded out to third. | 6 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington Nationals | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Difo SS | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | .265 | .326 | .380 |
| Kendrick LF | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 | .353 | .404 | .487 |
| Harper RF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24 | .327 | .427 | .622 |
| Zimmerman 1B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 22 | .312 | .354 | .581 |
| Murphy 2B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .329 | .382 | .563 |
| Rendon 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | .317 | .422 | .583 |
| Wieters C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | .242 | .291 | .369 |
| Goodwin CF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | .248 | .313 | .500 |
| Scherzer P | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .205 | .271 | .273 |
Grace P
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Solís P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Albers P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
a-Stevenson PH
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .091 | .091 | .091 |
Pérez P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Blanton P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1.000 | .000 |
b-Lind PH
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .318 | .368 | .548 |
| Totals | 37 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 163 | |||
| a-grounded to shortstop for M Albers in the 6th b-flied out to center for J Blanton in the 9th | ||||||||||
| BATTING 2B: Murphy (34, O'Grady); Rendon (25, O'Grady) HR: Scherzer (1, 2nd inning off O'Grady 2 on, 1 Out); Kendrick (3, 2nd inning off O'Grady 1 on, 1 Out) RBI: Rendon (70), Scherzer 3 (5), Kendrick 2 (18) Nationals RISP: 3-6 (Grace 0-1, Rendon 1-1, Wieters 0-1, Goodwin 1-1, Zimmerman 0-1, Scherzer 1-1) Team LOB: 7 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING CS: Kendrick (4, 2nd base by Ellington/Realmuto) | ||||||||||
| FIELDING DP: 1 (Wieters-Difo). | ||||||||||
Game Notes
| P SCHERZER (NECK SPASMS) LEFT GAME BOT 2ND |
Game Information
| Stadium | Marlins Park, Miami, FL |
| Attendance | 17,742 (47.4% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:05 |
| Weather | indoors |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Adrian Johnson, First Base - Eric Cooper, Second Base - Gary Cederstrom, Third Base - Gabe Morales |
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