Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola (14-3 Kendall Graveman Jersey , 2.24 ERA) opposes right-hander Max Scherzer (16-5, 2.11) as the Nationals (64-63) go for the sweep after Ryan Zimmerman’s walk-off, two-out, two-run homer gave them an 8-7 win on Wednesday night.Zimmerman’s shot off closer Seranthony Dominguez was his 11th career walk-off homer and first since 2016.Article continues below ...“That guy is nasty,” Zimmerman said after Washington won its second straight game following the trades of Daniel Murphy and Matt Adams. “Ninth inning, a close game and the other team has the lead, those (closers) are usually pretty good. I kind of put the pressure on them. They’re supposed to get me out.”The Phillies (68-58) have lost four straight and nine of 13. They trail first-place Atlanta by three games.“This is a big test for us,” manager Gave Kapler said after Philadelphia wasted an 11-hit night. “Big challenge to have a tough week like we’ve had and then to have an excruciating loss like the one we had tonight. Our guys aren’t going to hang our heads. We’re going to come back swinging tomorrow.”Nola and Scherzer appear at or near the top of the various NL pitching categories. Scherzer is first in wins and Nola is second. Scherzer is second in ERA behind Jacob deGrom of the Mets and Nola is third. Scherzer is first in strikeouts (234) and innings pitched (174 2/3) and second in ERA, while Nola is seventh in strikeouts (160) http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-jose-canseco-jersey , fifth in innings pitched (161) and third in ERA.And in terms of Thursday being a matinee, Scherzer is third in daytime ERA (2.24) and Nola is fifth (2.86).Nola hasn’t lost since July 14. Last time out he allowed one run and three hits over seven innings of a win against the Mets on Friday. He struck out 11 and walked one.“It’s pretty nasty,” Roman Quinn told philly.com of watching Nola’s curveball from center field. “I’ve seen it in live batting practice once before and it’s not something you want to stand in front of. He’s steady rolling and it’s fun to watch him pitch.”Scherzer hasn’t lost since July 2, going 6-0 with a pair of no-decision since then. Last Friday he threw six shutout innings in an 8-2 victory over the Miami Marlins. He allowed five hits, struck out seven and walked one. At the plate, he doubled for his career-high 16th hit of the season — improving his average to .296 — and scored twice from second base.“He does it all for us,” Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper told the Washington Post. “Every fifth day, he goes out there and pitches the ball well and runs the pillows really well and scores.”Scherzer has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last six starts and is 16 strikeouts shy of a fifth consecutive season with at least 250.Against the Phillies this season, Scherzer picked up a no-decision on May 6 despite allowing one run with 15 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. He’s 9-1 with a 2.50 ERA against them in 15 career starts.Odubel Herrera is 12-for-36 (.333) versus Scherzer http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-jed-lowrie-jersey , while Asdrubal Cabrera is 15-for-64 (.234), Cesar Hernandez is 8-for-35 (.229) and Maikel Franco is 3-for-23 (.130).Nola has already beaten the Nationals twice this season, allowing three runs and nine hits over 13 2/3 innings in those two starts. For his career, Nola is 3-4 with a 3.99 ERA in 12 starts.Harper is 9-for-23 (.391) against Nola with two homers and five RBIs. Anthony Rendon is 6-for-24 (.250) with a homer and Zimmerman is 3-for-20 (.150). GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Chicago White Sox made no effort to hide their disappointment over losing the Manny Machado sweepstakes.They went to extra lengths, bringing in Machado’s brother-in-law, another close friend and pulling out the stops in attempting to sell the free agent on the future of White Sox baseball.But they still missed out when the star infielder reached a deal with the San Diego Padres worth $300 million over 10 years.White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said of the experience that “trying really hard and failing is not sufficient.” Executive vice president Ken Williams said, “I’m wearing my shades so you guys don’t see the shock in my eyes.”In the meantime, the White Sox will look around and return to their youth movement Tony Phillips Jersey , now in its third season. If Machado had moved to Chicago, he might’ve playedthird base, with Tim Anderson at shortstop and Yoan Moncada at second.Moncada, a key component of the trade that sent Chris Sale to Boston and began the Chicago rebuilding project, struggled in his first full big league season. He batted .235 with 17 homers while leading American League second basemen with 21 errors and topping all of baseball with 217 strikeouts.Manager Rick Renteria’s advice to Moncada was simple: Forget last season.“I think he has more of a focus factor that comes into play,” Renteria said of the 23-year-old. “I think he sees himself as a little bit more focused on trying to get the job done.”That is part of the reason that Moncada has been taking grounders at third in spring training, with Carlos Sanchez — who Moncada replaced at second — returning to his previous position. That may be temporary as well, with No. 1 draft pick Nick Madrigal being groomed for second and Anderson, who showed great defensive improvement in the second half last season http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-walt-weiss-jersey , remaining at shortstop.But Moncada’s focus is part of the reason, Renteria said.“I think it’s possible, and there’s no guarantee, that playing third base rounds out his focus on both sides of the ball,” the manager said. “His range factor is huge, his arm is good. Understanding the nuances of the game at third, getting reacquainted with it will be a factor on how well he’ll do.”For his part, Moncada says he “feels good” at third base. “I like that position and with more repetitions I will feel even better.”Moncada worked with Renteria and hitting coach Todd Steverson after last season ended on fixing some of his problems at the plate — which included 63 called third strikes on borderline pitches as defined by Statcast. Moncada said that is the main focus of his offensive approach entering this season.“With two strikes I will be more aware of the corners and maybe a little more aggressive on those pitches,” he said.As for not getting the big free-agent prize Marcus Semien Jersey , outfielder Jon Jay, who lockers next to Machado’s brother-in-law Yonder Alonso — says they’ll be able to move on, echoing what Hahn and Renteria also said.“He’s a good friend of mine,” Jay said of Machado. “We are very happy with what we have here and are going forward. I’ve been fortunate to be around a lot of playoff teams and that’s still my goal here.”“You see a lot of confidence. There are guys who have great opportunities, and what I like the most is that they want to get better,” he said.