PHOENIX -- A few hours before first pitch Friday, the D-backs' clubhouse doors closed and general manager Mike Hazen addressed his team.

The D-backs created the biggest buzz Wednesday by dealing ace Zack Greinke in one of a trio of moves that included both selling and buying, and Hazen wanted to explain his thinking and let the club know he still believed in their ability to make the postseason.

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Their postseason odds suffered a blow later in the evening when they managed just one hit in a 3-0 loss to the Nationals, which dropped them 4 1/2 games behind Washington and Chicago for one of the National League Wild Card spots.

“I still believe that we’re a talented club,” Hazen said before the game. “I still believe that we’re only a few games out of a playoff spot. I still believe that this team competes as well as any team I’ve been around, and I think all those things matter as we go down the stretch. I think we need to play better, and I think we’re capable of doing that. Now I may be wrong in the sense of where we stand in relation to our ability to make the playoffs, but I still think we have an ability to go compete.”

Despite losing Greinke, the D-backs' players seemed to take heart that the team added a pair of pitchers in veteran Mike Leake and rookie Zac Gallen, while no other pieces from the Major League team were dealt.

“I felt like they kept us together and they’re giving us a chance to go see what this team can do,” reliever Archie Bradley said. “I kind of felt like they said, ‘Hey guys, here you go. We kept you together, we made some moves to help the future, but we’re going to give you guys a chance to play it out.’”

Bradley said he and teammates shortstop Nick Ahmed and infielder Jake Lamb had talked before the Deadline about what a shame it would be if the team did get broken up.

“We were all sitting there like if they do trade guys, we’re going to look back at this at some point in our lives ... and we had a group that we felt like could have done something and we kind of missed it,” Bradley said. “We didn’t play up to the level we thought we could. Now we’ve got a chance to go prove that, and we have a chance to change it.”

They’re going to need to change it quickly because time is getting short.

After Friday, 52 games remain on the schedule. The D-backs have two more games against the Nationals and then play host to the Phillies, who are a game behind the Nats in the Wild Card standings, for three games.

And if they plan on making up some ground, they’ll have to hit the ball better than they did Friday.

Nationals starter Joe Ross walked five batters in the first three innings, but the D-backs could not manage to capitalize. In fact, their first -- and only -- hit of the night was an infield single by starter Alex Young in the fifth, the first hit of his big league career.

Young was outstanding on the mound as well, as he held the Nationals to just one hit through five innings.

In the sixth, though, Adam Eaton led off with a double to right-center field and two outs later, the D-backs elected to walk the right-handed-hitting Brian Dozier to get to lefty Matt Adams, who had struck out twice against the left-handed Young.

This time Adams doubled to right scoring both runners.

“There are certain games at certain times that leave you scratching your head,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “This is definitely one of them.”