PHILADELPHIA — Max Scherzer threw his glove and hat to the grass, then stared down Phillies Manager Joe Girardi after getting checked for a third time by umpires for sticky stuff as the Washington Nationals beat Philadelphia 3-2 Tuesday night.

Scherzer (6-4) looked sharp in his return to the rotation after missing a start due to a groin injury, striking out eight in five innings. Girardi apparently didn’t like what he saw.

In the fourth, Scherzer threw high and inside to Alec Bohm, sending him sprawling to the ground before striking him out. Prior to the next batter, Girardi asked the umpires to check Scherzer.

Major league umpires began a crackdown on Monday by regularly examining pitchers for tacky substances that can give them a better grip on the baseball. Managers also can request a check, although umps can deny it if they believe it’s not in good faith.

The fiery Scherzer already had been checked by second-base umpire Alfonso Marquez after the first and third inning, with the crew chief doing an inspection of the right-hander’s glove, hat and belt.

So, when Marquez approached Scherzer for a third time, this time at Girardi’s request, Scherzer threw his glove and hat to the ground, unbuckled his belt and appeared ready to take his pants off in what became a bizarre scene.

Girardi said prior to the contest that he would not ask a pitcher to be checked merely for gamesmanship; rather, he would do it only if he legitimately believed there was cause.

“I got nothing,” Scherzer appeared to repeat to the umpires, before glaring at Philadelphia’s dugout, brushing his hair with his hands and yelling, “Just wet!”

Scherzer sent the Phillies down in order in the fifth and stared hard toward Girardi while walking back to the Nationals’ dugout. Girardi became unglued, hopping onto the field, motioning with his hands and screaming for Scherzer to come meet him. But plate umpire Tim Timmons intercepted Girardi and ejected him.

A miffed Max mocked the Phillies’ manager from Washington’s dugout, holding up his hat and glove as if to ask Girardi if he wanted to check one more time.

Yan Gomes had a pair of RBI singles for the Nationals, who have won three straight and 8 of 9. Scherzer allowed two hits and two runs, one of them unearned.

Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins hit home runs for Philadelphia, which has lost 5 of 7.

BRAVES 3, METS 0: Charlie Morton struck out 11 in seven innings of one-hit ball for his 100th major league win, and Atlanta won at New York.

Dansby Swanson hit a three-run homer in the third for the Braves, who have won 2 of 3 in the four-game series.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

ROYALS 6, YANKEES 5: Gerrit Cole’s strikeouts and spin rate dropped as he pitched for the first time since Major League Baseball’s crackdown on sticky substances, and Ryan O’Hearn and Kansas City rallied against the Yankees’ bullpen for four runs in the eighth inning win at New York.

Cole, among the pitchers under highest scrutiny as umpires regularly search pitchers this week for unauthorized grip enhancers, allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings, showing his usual velocity but without his explosive strikeout pitches.

Luke Voit homered and tripled in his return from the injured list as the Yankees built a 3-2 lead.

ATHLETICS 13, RANGERS 6: Matt Chapman and Ramon Laureano hit two-run home runs in the first two innings and Cole Irvin earned his second straight win as Oakland raced to an early nine-run lead to beat host Texas.

Laureano, Mark Canha and former Rangers All-Star Elvis Andrus had three hits apiece as the A’s banged out a season-high 15 hits and snapped a three-game losing streak.

INTERLEAGUE

CUBS 7, INDIANS 1: Kyle Hendricks dominated over six scoreless innings to win his eighth straight start, Kris Bryant homered and Chicago beat visiting Cleveland .

REDS 10, TWINS 7: Tyler Naquin went 4 for 4 with a three-run home run that broke a ninth-inning tie right after the ragged Cincinnati bullpen lost a five-run lead, and the visiting Reds stopped a five-game losing streak.

Amir Garrett got his fourth save in six attempts with a scoreless ninth after fellow relievers Art Warren, Lucas Sims and Tejay Antone stumbled through a five-run eighth by the Twins, whose season-long five-game winning streak ended.

Max Kepler hit a two-run homer, Trevor Larnach added a solo shot and Alex Kirilloff had the tying two-run double off Antone (2-0), but the right-hander in his first game back from the injured list recovered to record the last two outs of the inning.

TIGERS 8, CARDINALS 2: Jonathan Schoop and Jake Rogers each drove in three runs, leading Detroit over visiting St. Louis.

Schoop homered and Rogers hit a two-run double in Detroit’s six-run fourth inning.

BLUE JAYS 2, MARLINS 1: Cavan Biggio and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled on consecutive pitches to break a ninth-inning tie, and Toronto won at Miami.

The hits came with one out against Yimi Garcia (3-6), who entered the game after Sandy Alcantara stymied the Blue Jays while throwing only 86 pitches in eight innings.

MLB RBI leader Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled home the Blue Jays’ first run in the sixth. They improved to 12-2 in interleague games, including 3-0 against Miami.

Toronto’s Ross Stripling allowed one run in six innings. Tim Mayza (2-1) pitched a perfect eighth, and Jordan Romano faced only three batters in the ninth for his fourth save to complete a three-hitter.

ASTROS 3, ORIOLES 1: Zack Greinke took a four-hitter into the eighth inning, Myles Straw homered and drove in two runs, and visiting Houston won its ninth straight.

Greinke (8-2) allowed one run and five hits with four strikeouts and a walk over 7 1/3 innings. Facing the Orioles for the first time since 2010, the 37-year-old righty permitted only one runner past second base in lowering his ERA to 3.56.

Brooks Raley got two strikeouts in the eighth and Ryan Pressly finished for his 11th save in 12 tries.

PIRATES 6, WHITE SOX 3: Pinch-hitter Erik Gonzalez’s two-run single highlighted a four-run rally in the seventh inning as host Pittsburgh beat Chicago., which lost its fifth straight.

A three-run homer by pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal in the top of the seventh put the White Sox ahead 3-2 after they were held scoreless on two hits through six innings.

But the Pirates answered in the bottom half against rookie reliever Garrett Crochet (2-4), who was charged with four runs without getting an out.

NOTES

REDS: First baseman Joey Votto served a one-game suspension from Major League Baseball on Tuesday, three days after he was ejected for arguing with an umpire.

Votto was already slated to rest in the finale of a two-game series at Minnesota, an afternoon start following a 12-inning contest on Monday night that was MLB’s longest game of the season at 5:16. Shortly before first pitch, the Reds announced Votto was serving his punishment.

Votto and Reds Manager David Bell were tossed in the first inning on Saturday at San Diego after a heated spat with plate umpire Ryan Additon after Votto was called out on a checked swing. Padres catcher Webster Rivas appealed after Votto offered at a high, outside pitch, and third base umpire Chris Guccione confirmed that Votto went around.

Bell and coaches Delino DeShields and Freddie Benavides had to keep Votto away from Additon, who then ejected the player and the manager. Crew chief Jim Reynolds said after the game that Votto was booted because he “just lost control.”

BLUE JAYS: Rookie Alek Manoah was suspended for five games and fined by Major League Baseball senior vice president Michael Hill, who concluded the right-hander intentional threw at Maikel Franco last weekend.

Manoah appealed the discipline and the suspension will be delayed until after the appeals process.

Blue Jays Manager Charlie Montoyo was suspended for one game for Manaoh’s actions and served it by missing Tuesday night’s game at the Miami Marlins.

Manoah, making his fifth major league start, gave up consecutive homers to Ryan Mountcastle and DJ Stewart in a five-pitch span of the fourth inning at Camden Yards last Saturday, his third and fourth homers allowed in the game. The highly touted 23-year-old then hit Franco on the left shoulder with his next pitch, a 93.8 mph offering.

Franco yelled at Manoah, the pitcher took several steps toward the plate and held out both arms, and the dugouts and bullpens emptied for several minutes of shoving. Manoah was ejected.

INDIANS: Right-hander Aaron Civale appears headed to the injured list because of soreness in the middle finger on his pitching hand, another major hit for a banged-up staff.

The major league leader with 10 wins, Civale left in the fifth inning of Monday night’s win over the Chicago Cubs.

The pitcher is scheduled to be examined by hand specialist Dr. Thomas Graham on Wednesday.

METS: Marcus Stroman has a sore hip, Michael Conforto’s return was delayed due to coronavirus concerns and Joey Lucchesi is out for the season.

Stroman, the team’s most durable starting pitcher this season, exited Tuesday night’s outing against Atlanta in the second inning because of an aching left hip.

Conforto is on deck to come off the injured list, but the right fielder wasn’t activated after Triple-A Syracuse’s scheduled game was postponed to allow for more COVID-19 testing and contact tracing within the organization. Conforto spent last weekend on a rehab assignment with Syracuse, so the Mets said they decided not to reinstate him Tuesday “out of an abundance of caution.”

The team said Conforto tested negative Tuesday night and it plans to activate him before Wednesday’s game against the Braves. He has been sidelined since straining his right hamstring on May 16.

Lucchesi, however, is headed for Tommy John surgery, the Mets confirmed. The left-hander had solidified a spot at the back of the rotation by posting a 1.19 ERA over his previous five starts.