PHILADELPHIA -- For most pitchers, flirting with a no-hitter might be one of the most memorable days of your career. For Max Scherzer, it was just another day at the office.Scherzer didnt allow a hit until the sixth inning and he was dominant through eight as the Washington Nationals continued their mastery of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 3-2 victory Tuesday night.Scherzer (15-7) allowed three hits and struck out 11 while walking one. He was perfect through the first four innings, striking out five consecutive batters -- all swinging -- between the second and third innings.He has taken a no-hitter into the sixth in nine of his 61 all-time starts with the Nationals, and has allowed just five total hits in his last two outings.Hey man, I mean thats why hes Max, Washington manager Dusty Baker said. You know we had a good chance to win when Max pitches, and theres a good chance of him going deep in the game.Ryan Howard, who got the start despite being 1 for 18 with 11 strikeouts against Scherzer coming in, hit an opposite-field two-run home run in the seventh inning to break up the shutout and pull the Phillies within 3-2.But Scherzer closed the door from there, striking out three more in the seventh and eighth en route to his 15th win of the season.I knew I was throwing the ball well, I knew I had all the pitches working, I knew I could go out there and keep different looks going multiple times throughout the lineup and really sequence guys right, Scherzer said. When Im able to throw all my pitches for strikes it really allows (catcher Wilson Ramos) to do his job back there and come up with the right sequence.Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless ninth for his 37th save, getting a strikeout and inducing a big game-ending double play after issuing a leadoff walk.Freddy Galvis and Odubel Herrera collected the only other hits for the Phillies, who have lost six of eight to fall 12 games below .500. They have dropped their last eight games to first-place Washington, which matches the team record for consecutive losses vs. the Nationals/Expos franchise.We need to improve our plate discipline, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Were just not getting hits. But Scherzer was dominant, youve got to give him credit. Hes a tough cookie.Scherzer, who pitched two no-hitters last season, didnt allow a runner to reach base until Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp walked with one out in the fifth. Galvis ripped a double to right-field to lead off the sixth to break up Scherzers no-hit bid, but was picked off second base by Scherzer to end the scoring threat.The Washington ace also had a sacrifice-bunt RBI in the fourth after Ryan Zimmerman walked and Danny Espinosa ripped a single.The Nationals staked Scherzer to an early lead in the first inning. With two outs and nobody on, Daniel Murphy doubled before scoring on a double by Bryce Harper, his 19th RBI in the last 19 games. Ramos brought Harper home with an RBI single to put the Nats ahead 2-0.He can smell it, Baker said. When he gets some runs, its usually a shutdown inning. He doesnt give it right back. It usually takes a while for them to score off of Max.Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff (9-13), who walked just six batters in his last eight starts coming in, issued three walks and allowed five hits and three earned runs through six innings.Scherzers double-digit strikeout game was the 12th of the season, setting a Nationals record. He improved his career record to 7-1 against the Phillies, including a 6-0 mark since he joined the Nats in 2015.HOWARDS STILL GOT POPHowards homer was the 20th of the season and the 377th of his career, tying him with Jeff Kent and Norm Cash for 73rd on MLBs all-time list. His next home run will tie him with Matt Williams for 72nd place.He has 10 career 20-homer seasons, the second most in Phillies history behind only Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt (14).HOME-PLATE COLLISIONThe fourth inning ended when Espinosa was thrown out at the plate on a dart from Phillies right fielder Aaron Altherr. On the play, Espinosa collided with Rupp at home, which seemed to anger some Phillies.Afterwards, Mackanin admitted that he didnt think he had to bowl him over, but Howard laughed that Rupp probably liked it and thats baseball.OWNING PHILLYThe Nationals, who opened their six-game road trip with a 4-0 victory over the Phillies on Monday, are 7-1 at Citizens Bank Park this season.TRAINERS ROOMPhillies: Peter Bourjos missed his second straight game after getting hit in the left wrist by a pitch Sunday.UP NEXTThe Phillies and Nationals wrap up their three-game series Wednesday night with Philadelphia LHP Adam Morgan (1-8, 6.50) opposing LHP Gio Gonzalez (9-9, 4.25). Fake Nike NBA Jerseys . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. Discount Fake NBA Jerseys . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. http://www.fakenbajerseys.com/ . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Fake NBA Jerseys Sale . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Fake NBA Jerseys 2019 . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- It was earlier this week when Patrick Reed, that fist-pumping, Europe-shushing, putt-dropping ball of momentum who solidified himself as the darling of an otherwise bleak United States team effort at the Ryder Cup two years ago, was asked why that event means so much to him.He narrowed his eyes, shook his head and paused for a few seconds, clearly taken aback by the sheer audacity of the question. It was as if he had been asked why water is wet or why the sun is hot. Then he stammered the only explanation he could muster: Its the Ryder Cup.While Reed did eventually elaborate as to why the biennial competition holds such importance, those four words should serve as the only necessary justification for why he so desperately wants to represent the red, white and blue once again this year.If he keeps playing like this at The Barclays, his probability of a roster spot will become a certainty by the end of the weekend.Reed entered this event as No. 8 on the U.S. points list, with the top eight players after this week having guaranteed automatic qualifying spots on the team. All of which placed him firmly on the bubble, not that hes showing the effects of feeling any pressure.With rounds of 66 and 68, Reed leads by 2 strokes over Rickie Fowler and Emiliano Grillo going into a weekend at Bethpages Black Course that could garner him an elusive first victory of this season, an invitation to the upcoming Tour Championship and, yes, an automatic berth on the Ryder Cup team.Not that hes thinking about the residuals.Really, Im going into this week trying to win a golf tournament, he said after a second round that included six birdies against just three bogeys. At the end of the day, if I go and I take care of me and do what I need to do this week, then the Ryder Cup will take care of itself. So Im not going into this week looking at it as, Oh, I need to do this for the Ryder Cup. Im going to think, Alright, I need to go win a golf tournament, and everything else will take care of itself.Winning hasnt come easy for him this season. A four-time PGA Tour champion, he has amassed 14 results in the top 25, nine in the top 10 and a pair of runner-up finishes at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and Valero Texas Open.ddddddddddddSome players -- especially those of the elite variety -- might consider their seasons a disappointment without a single trophy for the mantle, but Reed maintains that he can still have a successful campaign without one.Its golf, he explained. You have guys that are going to win in years and youre going to have guys that arent going to win in years. I think this year has been a lot better than last year and the previous years on consistency. Thats a big part that Ive been working on is to make sure I keep myself into golf tournaments. Not go out and win an event here and then miss two or three cuts and finish 50th, 40th.Its about consistency: consistently getting in contention, consistently having chances to win. If I keep doing that, I will at some point break through and win hopefully a couple in a row, not just one.Preaching about consistency seems like a peculiar strategy for a guy who has so often played inspired golf when the moment calls for it. This is the same player who put an index finger to his lips after rolling in a birdie putt during his singles match against Henrik Stenson two years ago at Gleneagles, the same player who called himself a top-fiver earlier that year.Even though Reed has only displayed a poker face when discussing how much the Ryder Cup is on his mind this week, at least one peer believes the prospect of qualifying for the team is the perfect form of motivation for him.All youve got to do is light the fire a little with him, said Jordan Spieth, his partner for three matches in the 2014 Ryder Cup. If he plays golf with some, whether it be motivation or just feeling like hes been a little off and he needs to just do that little bit extra, he always brings it.So far, Reed is bringing it this week.Whether he admits it or not, that Ryder Cup roster spot is a tantalizing carrot dangling right in front of him. Reed desperately wants to be on that team and isnt afraid to explain how important it is.Just ask him. Hell offer a slight scowl and a pause, then just four words.Its the Ryder Cup. ' ' '