Wire Taps: Max Scherzer dominates; Washington Nationals’ draft struggles; Fernando Rodney going to Fresno...

There’s been a sizable change for the Nats lately — that’s right, they’re now wearing their dark blues with script lettering as an away jersey. It’s the first non-red or gray away jersey they’ve worn since the 2011 uniform change, and it looks great.

Anyhow, here’s the news from Nationals Park:

When it comes to the MLB draft, the Nationals need a turnaround there, too (WaPo)
The Nats used to be dominant in the drafts — over a four-year span, they took Robbie Ray, Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Drew Storen, Danny Espinosa, Derek Norris, Steven Souza, Jr., and a host of other impact players at the big-league level. But since taking Anthony Rendon in 2011, it's fair to say things have fallen apart quite a bit.

Max Scherzer, at his dominant best, racks up 15 strikeouts as Nats’ surge continues (WaPo)
Davey Martinez gave Max Scherzer a 120-pitch leash yesterday, though it was really Scherzer giving himself that leash. It got him through eight innings, fifteen strikeouts, and one of the team's most dominant performances of the year.

Scherzer grunts his way to a vintage 15-strikeout win (MASN)
"Manager Davey Martinez walked out to the mound and had to feel like he had to speak to Drogon, the fire-breathing dragon from “Game of Thrones.” Scherzer, in no uncertain terms, let Martinez know he wanted to stay in the game and get Votto again."

Nationals sign 42-year-old reliever Fernando Rodney (Yahoo!)
The Nats bullpen's ERA is finally below 7, but it's still a run worse than nearly any other team's — so they went out and got... Fernando Rodney, who pitched to a spectacular 12 walks in 14 innings!

Nobody Tells Max Scherzer To Leave The Mound Except Max Scherzer (Deadspin)
"The Washington Nationals may not be winning as many games as they used to be able to, but Scherzer’s ability to turn unfettered rage into some of the most impressive pitching performances in the league still remains unmatched and unaffected by the rest of his team’s woes."

Martinez on Scherzer, Rodney, Taylor and more (MASN)
Scherzer had started two games at Great American before. He had given up zero earned runs. That pattern about held true on Sunday.

Fernando Rodney signs Minors deal with Nationals (MLB.com)
Martinez knows Rodney from his years in Tampa, and will have him throw some bullpens before he heads out to Fresno.