Scherzer nearly perfect in series finale vs. Brewers

Nationals starter Max Scherzer is a Cy Young Award winner and perennial strikeout leader in the big leagues. And yet Sunday's performance against the Brewers at Miller Park may have been the most impressive outing of Scherzer's career.

Washington's ace gave up just one hit - a single to Carlos Gomez in the seventh - and walked just one in a 4-0 complete game shutout Sunday at Miller Park. Scherzer struck out 16 Brewers hitters, a career high.

Scherzer retired the first 18 batters he faced, striking out 11, before Gomez stepped to the plate to start the seventh and looped a pop fly just beyond the outstretched glove of Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon. The blooper turned out to be Milwaukee's only hit of the day, and Scooter Gennett's free pass in the eighth was the only other baserunner against Scherzer.

Taylor Jungmann gave up two runs in five innings in his second major league start, striking out five and not allowing an extra base hit, but his performance was overshadowed by Scherzer's quest for perfection. By current MLB standards, only 23 perfect games have been thrown among the more than 200,000 games played in major league history.