Washington Nationals' Max Scherzer endures first poor outing of season

MIAMI -- Entering Thursday, the Washington Nationals had won all three of Max Scherzer's starts, and the ace right-hander had gone at least six innings in each appearance.

None of that happened Thursday as he was beaten 5-1 by the Miami Marlins.

Scherzer went a season-low five innings and allowed season highs in hits (eight) and runs (five). A three-run homer in the first inning by Marcell Ozuna was the crushing blow.

"He wasn't sharp," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "He was getting some balls up. That three-run homer really hurt him."

For the record, the home-run pitch to Ozuna was not a bad one for Scherzer in terms of location. It was hard at 94 mph, inside and low -- off the plate.

Ozuna, in fact, said he just reacted, threw his hands and happened to make contact.

Scherzer admitted as much, but he also said he has some adjustments to make.

"I threw some pitches that were in a location I'm happy with," he said. "They got hits on them, and sometimes that happens. You tip your hat and move on."

Scherzer entered Thursday with 20 strikeouts in 20 innings. But he recorded three strikeouts in his latest performance.

"I'm aware of what I do well, and I generate swings-and-misses," Scherzer said. "But the swings-and-misses aren't there right now, and I think I'm not finishing pitches. I'm not coming up with the right sequences.

"This is not a mechanical breakdown. This is not going to take a month to fix. It's just, 'Here it is, adjust, and let's go.'

"I can take a punch on the chin and come back and keep fighting. I've done it plenty of times in my career."