Max Scherzer, Wilson Ramos quickly developing chemistry

There were many obvious reasons for ace Max Scherzer to sign with the Nationals this offseason. The club was already the World Series favorites, he would be joining the game's most imposing starting rotation and, oh yeah, $210 million. But an added luxury, was the benefit to work with a top-flight catcher that was battle-tested and full of experiences with some of the game's elite pitchers.

Throwing to catcher Wilson Ramos through his first three starts, Scherzer has been lights out, allowing just two earned runs in 21 2/3 innings while striking out 25 and walking four.

"I like it," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "They understand each other. I think it's been good. It seems to be in sync. Max isn't shaking off a lot, so they've got a good game plan going on out there."

Scherzer was finally able to notch his first victory for the Nationals last night despite pitching brilliantly in his previous two outings. Having just matched up against the Phillies five days before, he still kept them uncomfortable in the box throughout the game.

"Willy and I were on the same page on where to mix and match the off-speed pitches, when to go soft in certain counts and when to stay hard," Scherzer said. "Willy has a good feel for that. And we had a good game plan of when to do it. When you face a team for the second time in back-to-back starts, they kind of know you a little bit more, they know your pitches. So any time you can execute like that, it's a good sign."

Williams had Scherzer and Ramos working together from the start of spring training two months ago. Just a few pitches into that first bullpen session, Ramos had to switch from his new stiffer glove to his older broken-in mitt because he was having trouble gathering Scherzer's darting pitches.

Now, Ramos is plenty comfortable behind the plate with Scherzer, just as he is calling the game for the rest of the Nats' stellar staff. After only three starts with Scherzer, it appears the two have already developed the chemistry that could lead to disasters for National League lineups.

"I'm impressed," Ramos said. "I'm impressed because he's one of the guys in baseball that likes to do a lot of things. He likes to pitch different every time, so we've got to be smart with that. But the relationship I've got with him is amazing. We're on the same page. We talk before the game a lot. During the game, we talk. That's very important. If we stay like that, we've got the opportunity to win a lot of games."