Harper homers, Scherzer Ks 13 to propel Nats to 9th straight series win
Bryce Harper didn't need the wind this time.
One night after a swift gust of wind carried a routine fly ball off the bat of Harper over the left-field wall at Wrigley Field, Harper sent another opposite-field shot into the bleachers.
The Washington Nationals outfielder's National League-leading 18th blast - and 13th of May - in the sixth inning off Chicago Cubs ace Jon Lester helped solidify a 3-0 win in Wednesday's rubber match of the three-game set.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Harper went 1-for-3 with two walks to boost his slash line to an incredible .377/.495/.922 in May.
Bryce Harper's HRs continue to come against pitches on the outer third and middle-third of the plate pic.twitter.com/tpAuvJggVP
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 28, 2015
Harper is now tied with Nelson Cruz for the MLB lead in homers (18), and was backed by a spectacular outing from starter Max Scherzer. Mad Max tossed seven shutout frames while striking out a season-high 13 batters on 108 pitches. Harper has a proven track record of providing run support for the new staff ace since he came over from the Detroit Tigers.
Bryce Harper now has 8 HR in the 10 games Max Scherzer has started this season and 10 HR in the 37 games started by everyone else.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 28, 2015
Scherzer, who has now won five straight decisions, improves to 6-3 with a sparkling 1.51 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with the victory. His 85 strikeouts lead the majors.
Washington (28-19) now holds a 1 1/2-game lead over the New York Mets for top spot in the NL East.