Martinez focused on team and not scoreboard; Fedde solid in rehab start

The Marlins series did not turn out well for the Nationals with two losses in a row. Over the weekend, the Atlanta Braves were being swept by the Rockies and the Philadelphia Phillies have now lost seven of their last 11 games.

So the Nats lost a good opportunity to make up some ground in the division. The Braves beat the Pirates last night 1-0 to extend their lead to 7 1/2 games with 37 games remaining.

Prior to Saturday's game, manager Davey Martinez was asked about scoreboard watching. During Saturday's loss to the Marlins, the Nats fought back to tie the game 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth on an Adam Eaton solo homer. But the Nats succumbed 7-5 in 10 innings.

At about that same time, the Rockies rallied from a 3-0 deficit to come back and beat the Braves 5-3.

Could watching the scoreboard actually motivate a team to a rally of their own?

"We just got to keep going, keep playing good baseball and keep winning. Bottom line, we got to win. And today, we got to win today," Martinez had said Saturday.

"I got so much going on. For years I never really worried about anybody else's score or any other team. I got so much going on with our players that my focus is on helping our players succeed and trying to get us to win. That's all I focus on."

Then Sunday pregame, after another tough loss Saturday, Martinez was asked did he feel a seven-game deficit was getting to the insurmountable stage?

"No. I've done this for a long time and I've been on a team that won 103 games," Martinez said. "But we were up eight games in August and lost by one game, last game of the season. The Braves won 104 games. So you are never out of it until those standings dictate that at the end."

"For us we going to keep battling, keep playing hard. And the boys have been playing hard."

In 1993, Martinez's Giants lost 12-1 on the last game of the season while the Braves beat the Rockies 5-3 to win the National League West.

*Right-hander Erick Fedde finished four innings for Double-A Harrisburg Monday night in a hard luck loss to Reading, 7-6.

He threw 57 pitches, 32 for strikes, scattering four hits, allowing only one run, two walks and struck out four.

César Vargas had a much tougher go of it, surrendering six runs on six hits. Right-hander Jhon Romero, acquired from the Cubs in the trade for Brandon Kintzler, fired two shutout innings, giving up just one hit.