Max Scherzer Sets Wrong Kind of History Against Arizona Diamondbacks

Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer got off to a historically bad start during Friday's outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks, becoming the fifth pitcher in MLB history to allow home runs to each of the first three batters, per the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com).

Scherzer surrendered two more runs for a total of five on eight hits and two walks over five innings, striking out nine. The Diamondbacks scored the first five runs of the contest, but Washington scored the next five before Enny Romero allowed a walk-off single to Arizona's Brandon Drury.

Most of Scherzer's milestones are positive, including two Cy Young awards and five All-Star nominations. However, he joins a list of subpar pitchers in this instance. The pitchers to have previously done the same are Roger Mason (1987), Jeff Austin (2003), Phil Dumatrait (2007) and most recently Colby Lewis (2012), per Elias.

Despite Friday's lackluster outing, Scherzer still sports an exceptional 2.26 ERA and league-bests in strikeouts (192) and WHIP (0.84) over 139.1 innings. The performance has earned an 11-5 record through 20 starts this season.

The Nationals sit among the league's elite through the early portion of the second half, possessing a 57-38 record following Friday's loss. Unfortunately, the club has also taken two major hits atop the batting order, losing center fielder Adam Eaton for the season to a major knee injury and shortstop Trea Turner for over a month due to a broken wrist.

Scherzer and the pitching staff—along with the remaining hitters—have held things together for Washington during the span, though Turner still has a way to go in his recovery. Scherzer will look for a better start in his next scheduled outing Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers.