MIAMI -- Max Scherzer was nearly unhittable.

The Washington Nationals right-hander had a no-hitter and a shutout through 7 1/3 innings, retiring 18 consecutive batters.

"That was probably the best I've seen him," Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton said. "Balls were zooming. He was mixing his speeds and angles."

Fortunately for Miami, it caught a couple of breaks and rallied to defeat Washington 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon at Marlins Park.

Scherzer (8-5) had his attempt at a third career no-hitter broken up by backup catcher A.J. Ellis, who hit a comebacker for an infield single with one out in the eighth inning.

Ellis, who is batting just .204, didn't hit the ball particularly hard, but the ball bounced off Scherzer's glove, and shortstop Trea Turner couldn't make the play in time.

"I thought I had it," Scherzer said. "When I looked at my glove, it was empty."

And the Marlins, suddenly, had hope.

"That was the little crack left in the door for us," Stanton said. "The best teams capitalize on those opportunities."

The Marlins did just that.

After Ellis, pinch-hitter J.T. Realmuto reached on a two-out fielding error credited to first baseman Adam Lind, who could not come up with Turner's low throw. A good throw or clean catch there would've ended the inning.

Instead, the next batter, Dee Gordon, was hit by a pitch that struck his foot to load the bases, and Miami got on the board on a high wild pitch by Scherzer.

That tying run was scored by pitcher Jose Urena, who was used as a pinch-runner for Ellis.

"We've used Jose (as a pinch-runner) before," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "It's not the best scenario to have your pitcher running because who will replace those innings if he were to go down? But you are trying to win a game."

Stanton then gave Miami the lead with an RBI single that scored Realmuto. Gordon was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Ryan Raburn to end the threat.

Stanton's single was nearly caught by Raburn, who came up with the ball on a short-hop.

"I got good barrel on it, and it just kept going and going," said Stanton, who produced his eighth game-winning hit of the season. "I waited that one out, and luckily it just skipped on him."

Scherzer went eight innings and allowed two hits and two runs, both unearned. He also hit two batters.

He fanned 11 batters, marking his sixth consecutive game with double-figure strikeouts, a Nationals record and a career best for Scherzer.

Nationals catcher Jose Lobaton said he felt Scherzer was "running out of gas" at the end. Scherzer disagreed, saying, "I had stuff in the tank."

Dusty Baker, Washington's manager, sided with Scherzer.

"He was still throwing 95, 96 (mph)," Baker said. "He looked strong. He gave up a cheap hit. It was his game. Who would you bring in who was throwing better than him?"

Early on, Scherzer had two minor hiccups. Miami's Christian Yelich drew a five-pitch walk in the first inning, and Derek Dietrich was hit by a pitch in the second. After that, Scherzer retired those 18 consecutive batters.

The Marlins (32-38), though, hung in and evened its season series against the Nationals, 3-3. Kyle Barraclough (3-1) earned the win in relief, and A.J. Ramos pitched a scoreless ninth for his 10th save.

Washington (43-29), which completed a 4-3 road trip, scored its only run in the fifth on a solo homer by Raburn, his first long ball of the year.

The homer was allowed by Miami starter Dan Straily, who was otherwise outstanding but got a no-decision. He allowed just three hits, one walk and one run in six innings, striking out six.

Straily has allowed just one run in the past two games, covering 12 1/3 innings, and is 19-12 since the start of last season.

"Coming into today, I was thinking it would be a tight game," said Straily, who has 22 strikeouts and just four walks in his past four games. "Today was real close to being a special day for (Scherzer). I'm happy we were able to catch some breaks and take the win.

"It just shows you how fast things can turn."

NOTES: Nationals RF Bryce Harper went 0-for-4 and had his career-best 13-game hit streak snapped. ... Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon (neck stinger) returned after missing one game. ... Nationals CF Michael Taylor (illness) was a late scratch. ... Washington rested C Matt Wieters, 1B Ryan Zimmerman and 2B Daniel Murphy. ... Marlins 3B Martin Prado (hamstring) could return as soon as Tuesday when the New York Mets pay a visit. ... Marlins SS Adeiny Hechavarria (oblique) is set to return in early July. ... LHP Trevor Rogers, the Marlins' first-round pick last week, is expected to sign for a $3.4 million bonus. ... Starting Thursday, Miami will host the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs in a four-game series. ... Washington returns home to face the Cincinnati Reds. Washington will start RHP Stephen Strasburg (8-2) against Cincinnati RHP Luis Castillo, a former Marlins prospect who will make his major league debut.