Scherzer's "incredible" performance drives Nationals to 4-1 win

SAN DIEGO - Pumping his fists, revved up and yelling is how Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer left the mound after the seventh inning of Saturday night's 4-1 win over the Padres.

Scherzer was dominant throughout his eighth start of the season, but he ran into difficulty in the seventh. A leadoff double by Yangervis Solarte and a single by Alexi Amarista left runners on the corners with one out and the game still in reach as the Nats led by four. But Scherzer reared back and found 96 mph a few times to end the threat with back-to-back strikeouts.

"He's incredible," said right fielder Bryce Harper. "He's one of the best I've ever seen. Being able to play behind that and see his mentality and see how fired up he gets. I mean, he's just a bulldog out there and it's a lot of fun to watch. I'm just glad he's on my team."

Scherzer struck out 11 Padres, but none were as impressive as the final two with his pitch count raising toward 100.

"He's just into the game," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "When it gets tight out there, his emotions come out and you can see it on his face. You can see it in his mannerisms. He understands how to pitch and how to get guys out and when to just simply reach back and get a little extra. So ... special."

The Padres had to wait until the fourth inning before connecting on their first hit of the night. They only ended up with six men reaching base in the game, four on hits and two on walks. The seven scoreless innings lower Scherzer's season ERA to 1.75, fourth-best in the National League.

"Just one of the guys here," Scherzer said. "Everybody goes out there. Everybody has their own game. Everybody does their own stuff. My job is just to go out there every fifth day and compete and pitch as deep in the ballgame as I can. I feel like I've been able to do that this year and give the team my best effort."

Scherzer is far more than "one of the guys." His 66 strikeouts have him tied with the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw for most in the majors.

"Early breaking balls for strikes when he wants to," Williams said. "He understands what he can and can't do. He's got a good plan going in there. When he runs into trouble, he's got a plan to get out of it. We saw that tonight in a couple of spots. More of the same. Really good pitcher."