Nats hitters on Scherzer vs. Nola II

PHILADELPHIA - Tonight the Nationals go for their second consecutive series win over the Phillies in a rematch of last week's Max Scherzer vs. Aaron Nola heavyweight bout.

In that one, Nola was just a little bit better in a 2-0 win, going eight innings and allowing only five hits. The Nats managed three doubles in the game, but were unable to score a run.

"He's really good," Nats manager Davey Martinez said. "We hit some balls pretty good against him. He throws a lot of strikes, so we just got to be aggressive and put the ball in play. Don't miss your pitches."

Spencer Kieboom, Mark Reynolds and Adam Eaton all doubled against Nola last week. Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon singled. That was it.

Scherzer allowed only two hits, but one was Odúbel Herrera's two-run homer.

Catcher Matt Wieters, who pinch-hit against Nola in the eighth and lined out to left field, outlined his game plan.

"It's about getting good pitches to hit, get them over the plate," Wieters said. "Because guys with that kind of stuff, if you chase them out of the zone it's going to be a long day. So, we have to make sure we get him in the zone and attack from there."

Eaton had one of those five base hits but was not going to give away any of his trade secrets on how he will try to solve Nola tonight.

"It's a lose situation for me to talk about it because if he reads what I'm going to say right now it's not going to be beneficial to me," Eaton said. "So, I'm not going to comment on it."

I asked Eaton and Turner if there is any advantage to having faced Nola just five days ago in D.C., as opposed to trying to figure out his stuff by watching video.

"Absolutely helps," Eaton said. "At least from a hitter's standpoint, you'd like to think you have a little bit of an advantage seeing his arm slot that one time. How he's going to pitch you, how he's not going to pitch you. We got three or four at-bats off of him the last go-around. Saw a lot of pitches from him. Hopefully, guys can take that into (tonight) when we see him as a positive and, hopefully, kind of beat him to the punch, so to speak, and have a little bit of an advantage."

Turner also observed that seeing Nola's arm slot helps a little bit in preparation for tonight.

"The more you face a guy, the better chance you have," Turner said. "Obviously, good pitchers like him and Max, guys on the Mets, they're always going to have good stuff and it's going to be a tough at-bat, but the more times you see them, you feel like, the more comfortable you are seeing the arm slot, seeing the different velocity, different type of pitches. Obviously, it's still going to be a challenge, but I think the more times you see him, the better for us."

Kieboom talked after the game on Aug. 23 about the speed and trajectory of Nola's unique curveball and how that caused problems. Turner said it is a pitch that is one to watch out for tonight.

"There are a few guys that you face every once in a while where the velocity or the mph on the scoreboard doesn't necessarily match up with how you swing at the pitch," Turner said. "It goes for (the) fastball, it goes for all sorts of pitches. For me, it's got a tough angle from where he lets go of the ball as it is, and then ... and to see the curveball come out and you see it and you feel like, 'That's the one I want to hit,' and then it kind of never gets there. I think its 80 mph, but it seems slower than that when you're swinging."

Turner says he learns from each at-bat in a game and tries to build from there as the game goes along.

"That's an adjustment you got to make in-game, and you got to do it quick," Turner said. "It always helps to swing at mistakes, balls that he leaves up in the zone. If he gets (the ball) down it's going to be tough to hit, no matter what. I think it's more, so just get a pitch, or the curveball in a location that you want, and you'll have better success."

Turner understands it won't be easy tonight against like Nola, just as it won't be easy for the Phillies hitters facing off against Scherzer. But that doesn't mean that Turner will shy away from the battle.

"For sure. That's the competitor in all of us," Turner said. "A lot of us play this game because we just love the competition in general. We are always competing, whether it's in here or out there in that battle when you come to the field each day and you see who is on the mound (whether) it's a tough at-bat for you or if it's a better at-bat. So, I think it goes both ways. You can look at it negatively or positively. The more positive you are, I think, the better outcome for you."