Scherzer getting to "midseason form" following win at Miami

MIAMI - It was back to normal for Max Scherzer on Sunday, another close to dominant performance.

Scherzer (5-3) went eight innings and allowed just two runs for the win as the Nationals dropped the Marlins 8-2.

The Marlins managed only six hits off of him all day.

The biggest was a two-run shot from Justin Bour, his second homer of the series. But that was it. Only six of 29 Marlins batters faced reached base.

Scherzer struck out eight batters and walked none. He felt it was his second positive start in a row.

"I'm just kind of getting in midseason form," Scherzer said. "That's what you're always striving for. You'd love to have it when you get out of spring, but sometimes it takes a few starts and I've made some mistakes over (the) course of this year so far. Every start I get a little bit sharper. That's what's good.

"You keep building off of each start and you find ways to go out there and compete and pitch deep into the ballgame. That's what the team needs is the starter to go deep and pitch well. Any time you go out there and you are able to deliver for your teammates, that's when it feels the best."

Manager Dusty Baker said the Marcell Ozuna triple and the Bour homer in the seventh was the main reason Scherzer didn't go all the way to the ninth inning.

"Until that one inning, it looked like he was going to throw a complete game and save my bullpen but then ran into a little trouble with Bour and his pitch count got up kind of high," Baker said. "We didn't want to send him out in the ninth because we thought that was enough.

"He was throwing great. Seemed like Ramos and him were thinking on the same page. He was getting ahead of the hitters. He really made one mistake to Bour, a changeup that came back over the plate. (Bour) is a dangerous hitter, he doesn't miss those pitches. He threw the ball great today. It was a pleasure to watch him."

So has something clicked for Scherzer? He said the key in Sunday's win was the ability to throw every type of pitch where he wanted it and in any count.

"I felt like I had really good command of all the off-speed pitches today," Scherzer said. "I was able to throw some good cutters, some changeups and some sliders that really just kind of allowed me to pitch with my fastball. When I'm able to pitch well with my off-speed and throw strikes with it, that really allows me to do what I can with my fastball, that's what I most proud about."

Scherzer went a three-game span where he allowed a combined eight homers. But he also continues to strike hitters out, fanning 38 during the same span.

"His location has settled in," Baker noted. "That's the whole thing. That was hurting him before where he was having high pitch count innings, first couple of innings, which I had to go get him in the sixth. Whenever he can get to the middle part of the ballgame, that's when he gets especially tough. That was much needed on our part."

Scherzer said having the ability to throw off-speed early in at-bats made it difficult for most of the Marlins hitters to get into any kind of rhythm.

"It gives you a lot of options when you're in 0-1 counts, 1-1 counts," Scherzer said. "That's when I'm at my best, when I'm on the attack, I'm not walking guys. That allows me to be in those good counts. That's where you get a lot of the weak contact, swings and misses."

But those 20-strikeout and 10-strikeout games happen for a reason. It's not just about his off-speed clicking. It's how the off speed then can set up the fastball success.

"I'm a strikeout pitcher. I know it. It's just a part of my game," Scherzer said. "When you are able to strike guys out, it just means all the sequences are working and your off-speeds sharp. Because your off-speed's sharp, it sets up the fastball. They play hand-in-hand with each other.

"That's when I have success and I'm in those 0-2, 1-2 counts and I'm able to throw my game and put the hitter in a defensive position. When I'm able to do that with Willy and Willy is in sync with me, we can really put up some totals and really have some success."