Erick Fedde and Nationals pay for walks in 8-5 loss to Marlins in Miami

Erick Fedde gave up four hits, two walks, and four earned runs in five innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in his return from the Disabled List on September 4th, then the right-hander tossed 5 ²⁄₃ scoreless against the Philadelphia Phillies in his second outing following a two-month DL stint for a right shoulder issue.

Fedde picked up a career-best nine Ks from 20 batters faced in Citizens Bank Park, holding the Phillies to two walks and two hits in what ended up a 3-1 win for Washington.

Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez talked after that outing about being impressed with what the 25-year-old starter.

“He was attacking the strike zone,” Martinez said. “He was really good. Kept the ball down and used all his pitches. And he was good.”

“He did really well. Really well,” the first-year skipper added.

Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images

Fedde said he was focused on his using fastball, on the advice of some his coaches and teammates (including Stephen Strasburg), and everything worked off of that.

“Today, I definitely think everything played off of it,” Fedde said, as quoted by MLB.com’s Jamal Collier.

“It just kind of opened up my slider, and really, I think guys were surprised by the cutter.”

Martinez told reporters he wanted to see more of the same from the righty in Miami, where the Nationals started a two-game set with the Marlins on Monday night.

“He can be a really good pitcher,” the manager said before the game. “For me it’s all about consistency.

“We’ve talked to him about utilizing his fastball more because he’s got a good one and he’s done that the last few outings, so we hope that he does that today, but I see him as a real potential 3-4 starter here in the future. But he’s getting better. The big thing is that he’s getting better. They always talk about guys being hot, and I always tell him, I said, ‘Hey it’s not about being hot, it’s about being consistent.’

“Every time you go out there just be consistent and he’s done that.”

“For him, it’s use his fastball and stay in the strike zone,” Martinez added. “Sometimes he tries to miss barrels. He don’t have to do that. His stuff is really good.”

Fedde tossed four scoreless against the Marlins on 72 pitches, working around a double and two walks as the Nats jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

The Marlins’ fifth started with his third and fourth walks on the night, however, and both of the runners came around to score on a one-out, two-run, line drive double to left by Starlin Castro, who jumped on a first-pitch slider and cut the Nationals’ lead in half, 4-2.

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That was it for Fedde, with the runner he left on base stranded.

Erick Fedde’s Line: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 Ks, 93 P, 51 S, 6/0 GO/FO.

Fedde exited the game with a 4-2 lead, but the bullpen blew it and the starter was left with no decision in what ended up an 8-5 loss.

“The walks killed us today, all the way around,” Martinez said after the loss.

“[Fedde] had 90-something pitches in four innings. He didn’t get ahead. He was always 2-0, 3-2. When he got ahead he was okay, but it wasn’t often.”

“It was mostly my glove side stuff,” Fedde told reporters, as quoted by MASN’s Byron Kerr.

“Slider was missing arm side all day and then yanking the fastball. [Martinez] said it, don’t enjoy walking people. It’s not fun.”