Max Scherzer's fiery response to Matt Williams highlighted in Nats' 5-4 win

Right-handers Max Scherzer and Jose Fernandez went toe-to-toe for the first six innings tonight, both allowing two runs. But Scherzer outlasted Fernandez, taking his start into the seventh where his defining moment of the night took center stage.

With the game knotted 2-2, Miguel Rojas smoked a double off Scherzer with one down. Scherzer quickly responded, fanning Casey McGehee for the second out.

With Dee Gordon - owner of the National League's second best batting average - stepping to the plate, Nationals manager Matt Williams made his way to the mound as boos began traveling throughout the crowd.

Williams barely reached Scherzer before his ace, yelling a few words of profanity, emphatically and intensely assured his skipper he wanted to finish the inning. The conversation lasted about as long as it took for Scherzer's first-pitch 97 mph fastball to blow by Gordon.

"I asked him, I said 'You want it?' and he said 'Yeah' ... among other things," Williams said. "I don't know if you could read lips."

"Some yelling, some four-letter words and 'I want the ball," Scherzer recalled smiling. "That was basically the gist of it."

On a 0-1 count, Gordon slapped Scherzer's slider on the ground to Ian Desmond, who fired to Clint Robinson to end the threat, sending Scherzer stalking into the dugout.

A lot of action followed. Left-hander Felipe Rivero yielded two singles in the eighth leading to the Marlins taking a one-run advantage.

The Nats fought back in the bottom of the frame on Desmond's sacrifice fly, scoring Trea Turner, and Michael A. Taylor's go-ahead RBI single.

But closer Jonathan Papelbon blew his second straight save, sending the game into the 10th, where Jose Lobaton played hero with a walk-off sacrifice fly as Jayson Werth raced home, crashing head first into the plate for a 5-4 win.

But much of the attention after the game was focused on Scherzer's fiery exchange with Williams in the seventh. All season long, young players to aging veterans have said they feed off the ferocity that Scherzer brings into every start.

"Maxie, he got that energy that everybody can see," Lobaton said. "He want to win the game all the time he out there. I really love when I see a guy with the attitude like that. He got that extra energy like 'No, I'm ready. I can go.' I love that. I love that."

Robinson, who bombed a solo homer off Fernandez in the second, was standing just a few feet away when Williams checked on Scherzer.

"He said 'You want it?' and he said 'I do' and that's all it took," Robinson said. "When you got your ace on the mound and he's pitching his butt off like that that, I really like the move. I was happy Max wanted it. That's the kind of thing you need from a guy like that."

Werth delivered a leadoff double to right-center in the 10th to set up the game-winning run. After spending a season with Scherzer, the 36-year-old Werth wasn't surprised to see the spirited outburst.

"I knew that was coming," Werth said. "He's a competitor. He wants the ball. He wants it in big spots. I knew if Matt made it all the way out there without signaling to the bullpen, he was gonna stay in the game. It's just the type of guy he is."

The Nationals had lost six of Scherzer's seven starts before he took the mound in Miami last Sunday. Now they've beaten the Marlins in each of Scherzer's last two outings, with the 31-year-old only surrendering two runs while striking out 12 over 15 innings.

After the game, Scherzer said his intensity in the seventh is nothing new.

"I've done that for a while now," Scherzer said. "I know I've done it to some pitching coaches and managers and (Jim) Leyland and (Brad) Ausmus in the past. You just have to have the belief in yourself when those situations arise. I always know I still have my best bolt left. I know I'm good to go and I know I'm ready to face anybody in the league in that situation."