WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Washington second baseman Danny Espinosa was standing in short right field with two out in the top of the eighth inning on Saturday.

The original lineup card posted by manager Matt Williams had Espinosa at shortstop, but Espinosa started at second base when regular third baseman Yunel Escobar came down with a stomach bug and the Nationals had to switch their infield around.

That turned out to be a divine omen for starting pitcher Max Scherzer, as elite defender Espinosa fielded a grounder off the bat of first baseman Pedro Alvarez in short right and threw him out at first to end the eighth inning, saving what turned out to be a no-hitter by Scherzer.

"Espinosa with a great play to get Alvarez," Scherzer noted.

That was the 24th straight batter retired by Scherzer, who hit pinch-hitter Jose Tabata with a pitch with two out in the ninth to ruin his perfect game, but took "two seconds" to re-focus.

Then he retired second baseman Josh Harrison on a fly ball to left to complete his no-hitter and a 6-0 victory over the heavy-hitting Pirates before a sellout crowd of 41,104.

"We can't expect that every time out," Washington manager Matt Williams said with a grin, well aware Scherzer had thrown a one-hit shutout with 16 strikeouts in his previous start on June 14 at Milwaukee.

"A very good feeling for our whole club. He's our ace. What a day. We beat the weather," as rain began to fall about 15 minutes after the last pitch.

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle, whose club was hitting .257 at game time, was impressed by the play in the eighth by Espinosa.

"The guy made a good play," Hurdle said. "The guy laid out for the ball."

The game-time temperature was 91 degrees, but that didn't deter Scherzer, who has allowed only two of the last 56 batters he has faced to reach base.

His back-to-back outings rank among the best in baseball history, but obviously behind Johnny Vander Meer, who pitched back-to-back no-hitters for the Cincinnati Reds in 1938. His second no-hitter was June 15, 1938, while Scherzer's one-hotter came on June 14, 2015.

"Mission accomplished," said Scherzer, when asked of his feelings when left fielder Michael A. Taylor caught the last out. "I feel like it's a great team win. It was hot and humid. It was pretty exhausting out there.

"I kept pounding the zone. I was able to execute my pitches. I was able to get it done."

Where does the no-hitter rank for Scherzer, who has won four post-season games, won the All-Star game last year and the Cy Young Award while with the Detroit Tigers in 2013?

"This ranks at the top," Scherzer said. "This is some of the best baseball I have thrown. I am executing all of my pitches. This shows that hard work pays off."

Scherzer made sure to point out the play of his teammates in the field.

In addition to Espinosa, third baseman Anthony Rendon ran into the railing in foul territory near the Pittsburgh dugout to make a catch for the first out of the ninth on right fielder Gregory Polanco.

Scherzer, who also contributed a hit, had 10 strikeouts in his third career complete game and third career shutout.

Washington right fielder Bryce Harper, who sat out Friday because of a light left hamstring strain, hit a 1-and-0 pitch over the center field fence in the fourth to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead.

It was a career-high 23rd home run for Harper, with Pittsburgh center fielder Andrew McCutchen stopping to watch the ball sail over his head.

The home run came against starter Francisco Liriano (4-6), who gave up five earned runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings before he was undone by a four-run sixth.

Rendon hit an RBI double in the sixth to make it 2-0. His hit scored center fielder Denard Span, who reached base on a wild pitch after he struck out and then stole second.

Harper singled home Span to build the margin to 3-0. A two-run single by first baseman Tyler Moore made it 5-0 to send Liriano to the showers.

Taylor doubled and scored on wild pitch in the seventh to make it 6-0.

Taylor also made a nice catch near the left field fence in the third to rob Pirates shortstop Jody Mercer of extra bases.

The Nationals (36-33) improved to 8-11 in June and the second-place Pirates (39-29) lost for the second day in a row after an eight-game winning streak.

Scherzer, who signed as a free agent with the Nationals in January, has an ERA of 1.76 this season.

"He came out for the seventh and was throwing a fastball at 96, 97," Hurdle said. "He had fantastic stuff. He attacks the zone. He had command of everything."

Except one pitch to Tabata.

NOTES: Washington OF Bryce Harper was back in the lineup as the cleanup hitter and playing right field Saturday after he sat out Friday's game because of a mild left hamstring strain. He was injured in the sixth inning on Thursday when he threw a ball home on wet grass after a single. "He texted me this morning," manager Matt Williams said on the Nationals radio network before the game Saturday. "He feels good. He said he wants to be in the lineup; we are not going to argue with him. He said he is good to go." ... Harper entered the day tied for second in the league with 22 home runs and led MLB in on-base average (.476), slugging (.720) and OPS at 1.197. ... Washington INF Yunel Escobar was a late scratch from the lineup with a stomach bug. Ian Desmond, slated to have his second day off in a row, was put in the lineup at shortstop and Danny Espinosa, who had been slated to play short, was moved to second and Anthony Rendon moved from second to third. ... Pittsburgh RHP Charlie Morton (5-0, 1.62 ERA) will start the series finale on Sunday against Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez (4-4, 4.82 ERA). ... Washington CF Denard Span hit .400 in his previous six games with at least one hit in each. ... Pittsburgh OF Andrew McCutchen entered the game with four doubles, two triples and five home runs with 11 RBIs in his last 12 games at Nationals Park.