On the decision to let Scherzer try to finish the eighth inning

Max Scherzer communicates with his manager and pitching coach as well as anybody in the sport, and for that and many other reasons he has earned the trust of both to dictate (most of the time) how long he can remain in a ballgame.

So if you're wondering who decided Scherzer should remain on the mound in the top of the eighth inning Friday night, as his pitch count first topped 110 and then reached 120, the answer is ... Scherzer himself.

"He said he was good," manager Dusty Baker said. "We asked him before the inning. And if he says he's good prior to the inning, you hate to go out and get him like that. You've got to give your ace a chance to win."

The Nationals were trailing the Braves 2-1 when the eighth inning began, and Scherzer made quick work of Dansby Swanson and Lane Adams, striking out both to bring his pitch count to 109.

With the left-handed Ender Inciarte at the plate and the left-handed Oliver Pérez warming in the bullpen, the opportunity was there to make a move. But Baker, trusting what his ace told him a few minutes earlier, left him in.

Scherzer proceeded to walk Inciarte during an eight-pitch at-bat that brought his total to 117. And then, with the right-handed Brandon Phillips now at the plate and no right-hander warming in the 'pen, he remained on the mound, ultimately surrendering a single on an 0-2 pitch.

"I was able to get two outs, but I just wasn't able to close the door," Scherzer said. "That frustrates me. I pride myself on the last 15 pitches, and I walk Inciarte. If you get hits, you get hits. Brandon Phillips, it was an 0-2 count, little bit too good of a pitch that he can just find a way to find a hole. But that inning was set up because of the walk, and I take responsibility for that."

The Nationals still might have escaped the inning had Pérez (who finally replaced Scherzer) been able to get Freddie Freeman. Alas, nobody on the Nats pitching staff has consistently been able to get Freeman out over the years, so few could have been surprised when the Braves slugger sent an opposite-field single off Pérez to bring home two runs and leave Scherzer charged with four total on the night.

Thus did Scherzer's dominant first half of the season end on something of a sour note. He entered Friday night's game with a league-best 1.94 ERA. He departed with that number now sitting at 2.10.

He'll head to Miami late Sunday night for his fifth consecutive All-Star Game, though he couldn't say for sure after this game whether his arm will be ready to return and pitch Tuesday night against the American League.

"It could," Scherzer said. "You just gotta come in tomorrow and see how it feels. I think I've had a couple lighter loads (my) past two (starts), so it allowed me to be strong in this start. So it's one of those things, you gotta wait and see."

The fact the All-Star break is nearly upon us played a role in Baker's decision to leave Scherzer in Friday night's game.

"We were debating," the manager said. "And we asked Max. ... Especially this is his last game prior to the break. And it probably would've been different if he was going to pitch five days from now. It was Max's game. Just like in Florida (last month during a no-hit bid), it was Max's game. You've got to give him a chance. Because like I said, who can you bring in out of the bullpen that's better than Max?"