ATLANTA — Every once in a while, when MLB Network analysts are breaking down elite starting pitchers on clubhouse televisions, someone will call out the word “hardware,” as if it’s a proper noun and someone might answer. In the Washington Nationals’ clubhouse, someone could.

“Hardware” is one of the ways Max Scherzer’s teammates refer to him now and then. It refers to the mountains of awards he has accumulated over the years — the three Cy Young Awards, the strikeout titles, the all-star nods, the pitcher of the week and month awards, and so on. Few pitchers have ever been able to boast of a collection so large. Scherzer’s collection grew Saturday.

For the second month in a row, Scherzer was named the National League’s pitcher of the month; it was the fifth time he has won that award since joining the Nationals. His fellow National League starters have hardly mounted much of a challenge this season. His nine wins lead the majors, as do his 120 strikeouts, which are 22 more than the next closest man. His 1.92 ERA is second in the NL. His .171 batting average against is first. Scherzer went 4-0 with 63 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings in May, and he held batters to a .176 batting average against.

“I’m pitching with all four, five pitches,” Scherzer said. “I’m throwing the curveball for strikes. When I can buy strikes with that curveball, it lets everything else play up. . . . May was a good month. I look forward to continuing to pitch well in June.”

As of the first days of June, those statistics make Scherzer the leading candidate to start the All-Star Game next month in the District, though that decision belongs to Washington Manager Dave Roberts, who has plenty of time to make it. For now, Scherzer’s collection has grown by one. He also reached a milestone with his victory Wednesday night against the Baltimore Orioles: 150 wins. Scherzer became the 259th pitcher to reach that mark, the eighth active pitcher with so many wins. Bartolo Colon leads active pitchers with 242. Colon is 45 years old, a perfect example of the absurd longevity needed to reach that 300-victory milestone these days.

“Oh my gosh, such an appreciation,” Scherzer said. “I’m basically coming on 10 years of service time here in a bit. For this to really only be the halfway point to 300 — like, oh my gosh. How do those guys . . . they just pitch forever. They were just good forever. Those 300-game winners that you’ve watched — Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and [Roger] Clemens — it puts it into another thing of just how dominant they were, not just for seasons or a decade, but their whole career. How many dominant years they had to have to win 300 ballgames. It’s amazing.”

Scherzer acknowledges that wins don’t mean as much as they used to, largely discredited by current baseball thinkers as an inadequate measure of pitcher performance. He also thinks they measure a veteran pitcher’s performance better than they do a youngster’s — veteran pitchers should know how to pitch deep into games, how to hold a team close instead of pitching in a vacuum. Scherzer would have to win 15 games a season for 10 more years to reach 300 wins. Some milestones are less attainable these days, but Scherzer is doing his best to grab all those within his reach.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (32-24)

Trea Turner SS

Bryce Harper RF

Anthony Rendon 3B

Matt Adams 1B

Juan Soto LF

Michael A. Taylor CF

Wilmer Difo 2B

Spencer Kieboom C

Gio Gonzalez P

ATLANTA BRAVES (34-23)

Ender Inciarte CF

Ozzie Albies 2B

Freddie Freeman 1B

Nick Markakis RF

Tyler Flowers C

Johan Camargo 3B

Charlie Culberson LF

Dansby Swanson SS

Brandon McCarthy P

Read more on the Nationals: