Nats Nightly

Max Scherzer struggled in the first inning again, before going on to make a decent start, but the Washington Nationals rallied to tie it after falling behind early, only to eventually drop the series opener with the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 4-3. Philly righty Vince Velazquez impressed again with mid-90s heat and a nice curve, and the Phillies' strategy of limiting the damage Bryce Harper could do paid off in the end.