Jayson Werth said timing at the plate helping him get back into a good groove

In building back into full strength since breaking his wrist, Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth has been able to see a ton of pitches each at-bat by staying patient and making the pitcher show his entire repertoire.

Tuesday he dove into first base to try to break up a potential double play in his first at-bat. The RBI fielder's choice helped score the last of three runs, and the Nationals had an early advantage over the Diamondbacks.

In the third inning, he worked reliever Josh Collmenter for 12 pitches, fouling off eight consecutive pitches before popping up to center field.

In the fifth inning, he saw four pitches against Collmenter before grounding out to short.

His biggest at-bat came in the bottom of the eighth against Diamondbacks reliever David Hernandez. Werth saw six straight four-seam fastballs from 95 to 97 mph. His double to left field put runners on second and third with no one out, giving the Nationals three chances to take the lead.

Wilson Ramos' bloop single provided two runs that helped lift the Nationals to a huge 5-4 victory.

Werth said the key for him as he begins his second week back with the team is getting his bat speed back up to full power.

"I think it's just timing more than anything," Werth said. "But those are good at-bats to help me get my rhythm and get my timing. I feel good. It's just a matter of time I think. I'm healthy. That's the biggest thing. Hopefully, we can get rolling."

He said Hernandez was not shy about bringing the fire. Werth said that actually worked to his advantage.

"A lot of hard heaters," Werth said. "After he walked (Ryan Zimmerman), he threw a couple balls to me and kept on with the heater. I think it was 96 mph. Seeing a lot of velocity lately, which is good. That will help get the timing going, too, so it's good."

And Werth sees that the offensive unit is almost back to full strength. The calendar says there are still 59 days left in the season. When center fielder Denard Span returns, they can surge.

"I think it's just a matter of time," Werth said. "We're a great second half team. We've been playing (while) half our team has been hurt all year. That's the reality of it. When we all get back, we're right there, we're in first place. We're a game back now. I think going forward, we get us all back healthy, get rolling, it's our division to lose."

Werth certainly has his patented patience at the plate returning to pre-injury form. Now it's just a matter of time before his timing is back, too. Tuesday was an indication he is on the right line.