Max Scherzer, Wilson Ramos are still working to get on the same page

VIERA, Fla. - The first time Wilson Ramos crouched behind the plate to catch Max Scherzer, he lasted only three pitches before realizing it was the wrong time to break in a new mitt. The Nationals catcher grabbed his old, broken-in glove and settled back in to begin learning the newest member of the Nats' elite rotation.

"Everything's moving," Ramos said with a bit of amazement. "That's impressive. Pitchers like him, not too many in this game."

Familiarizing himself with Scherzer's darting fastballs is just part of the process for Ramos. Personality, instincts and how the former American League Cy Young Award winner pitches in certain situations are all important for the batterymates to get used to in order to attain maximum success.

"He has to catch Max and make sure he gets a feel for him and next time out I think we got Loby (Jose Lobaton) with him," Nats manager Matt Williams said. "We want to make sure that both those guys see him as much as possible."

Most Nationals starters don't make road trips during the exhibition season, but Ramos traveled to Kissimmee, Fla., on Sunday to get a second in-game look at Scherzer. The result was four scoreless innings against the Astros with only one hit and one walk yielded.

"It just takes time," Scherzer said. "That's where, when we're in between innings, we're just going over the situations. You know, we've got a swing and miss on this pitch, what do we want to do next pitch? And kind of hear what he sees and what I feel is my strength in that situation, so it's just a conversation that you need to keep having over and over and over."

It's clear who's in charge on the mound.

"They talk amongst themselves," Williams said. "Max has a plan and both Loby and Wilson go along with that plan. He brings great success. He's got an idea of what he wants to do out there every time he goes out."

Scherzer comes to the Nats off the past two years in Detroit, where he went 39-8 with a 3.02 ERA and 492 strikeouts. So the fact that Ramos and Lobaton don't have any history with Scherzer really emphasizes the work that needs to be done this spring.

"There's a difference on how guys work and how they operate with you and so that's why I know it's really important to get on the same page with Willie as fast as possible and have those types of conversations," Scherzer said. "Push him. Like, 'Why would you want to throw a slider in a situation? Even though I shook it off, what were you thinking?' It's kind of conversations like that. 'Hey, trust me on maybe throwing a 1-0 changeup. I know how I can execute that.' And sometimes he's actually going to have suggestions for me that are going to make better pitches, as well."

Scherzer is not the only new Nationals pitcher who's getting to know his catchers. Right-handed reliever Casey Janssen spent his entire eight-season career in Toronto before being signed as a free agent in late January. He's only had one opportunity to work with Ramos in his three appearances so far.

"We've still got to continue," Janssen said. "The first time, he didn't see all my pitches yet, so I'd love to get another one. Still got to talk to him about what I like to do with hitters and stuff like that. Both him and Loby are both open to learning my game, and at some point we'll sit down and really go over what I like to do."

Janssen, who hasn't allowed a run yet this spring, elaborated on the intricacies involved in the pitcher-catcher relationship.

"It's more of a case by case, I feel like," Janssen said. "Some guys like to pitch differently. I'm a guy who's got five pitches, and at times, that can be overwhelming for a catcher if he's not on the same page or trying to figure out where I'm trying to go. The game can get more simple as you work with each other and as you find out the tendencies that I like to do, and hopefully we get on the same page pretty quick."