Tigers 4, Dodgers 1: Max Scherzer Is Still Really Good

Gross. That wasn’t as painful as last night, but it still wasn’t very much fun. Max Scherzer allowed a mere four hits — one, shockingly, being Miguel Rojas‘ first major league homer — and along with two walks, and Joba Chamberlain & Joe Nathan allowed zero hits and zero walks, and that was that.

It’s not like the Dodgers never had chances, though. Yasiel Puig tripled with one out in the first, but was caught leaning off third when Hanley Ramirez bounced to short. A.J. Ellis and Ramirez both led off innings with a walk; in neither case did either make it to third. In the sixth, Puig led off with a double, but made it no further than third thanks to two strikeouts and a grounder. It was the last hit the Dodgers would get.

With the lack of offense, it didn’t really matter that Zack Greinke was good — eight strikeouts without a walk, though three runs came in, because he allowed three hits in the first — rather than outstanding. The way Scherzer was throwing, Greinke was going to have to have been perfect. He wasn’t. Game over.

Oh, well. At least Clayton Kershaw pitches against the Padres tomorrow. San Diego might get negative hits.