WASHINGTON -- The Nationals aligned their rotation last week not only so that Max Scherzer would be scheduled to start Tuesday against the Braves, but they mapped it out so their ace would be eligible to pitch in each remaining series down the stretch against Atlanta, the team they are chasing in the National League East.

That was before Scherzer’s back injury struck again, putting him on the injured list with a mild strain of his rhomboid muscle. Scherzer has yet to pick up a ball and had no update when approached by reporters earlier Tuesday. His absence loomed large later that night in Washington’s 11-8 loss to the Braves at Nationals Park.

• Box score

Erick Fedde, promoted to fill Scherzer’s spot in the rotation, was tagged for a career-high nine runs on nine hits and four walks before he was removed from the game with two outs in the fourth inning.

The loss matched Fedde’s shortest start of the year and pushed the Nationals back to 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Braves, spoiling a crucial chance for Washington to gain ground in the NL East. It also raised questions, with less than 24 hours to go before Wednesday’s 4 p.m. ET Trade Deadline, whether the Nats need to add a starting pitcher.

“It’s never fun to let your team down,” Fedde said. “It’s one of those ones where I look at it as, "Just don’t let it happen again.' [I'll] go to the drawing board tomorrow and really look at where I struggled, but for right now, just kind of get past it.”

Improving a bullpen that entered Tuesday with an MLB-worst 6.04 ERA this season has been Washington’s primary focus leading up to the Deadline, and earlier this month, general manager Mike Rizzo said he was happy with his team’s starting pitching depth. He did not consider adding another starter as a priority at that time, but that was before Scherzer went to the IL for the second time this month. It is still unlikely the Nationals use their resources in prospects and money to acquire a starter before the Deadline, but nights like Tuesday could make them consider it.

“You can’t fall behind hitters… it’s tough to pitch that way, especially in the big leagues,” manager Dave Martinez said. “It really is. [Fedde] just wasn’t very good today.”

Scherzer is not expected to be sidelined for an extended time, but the Nats have also not provided a timeline for his return. Scherzer is not expected to pick up a baseball again until his back feels 100 percent, which has left Washington’s rotation in a state of flux.

The Nationals are filling in two rotation slots with Fedde and Joe Ross, who yielded seven runs (six earned) as the bulk pitcher behind an opener on Saturday against the Dodgers. With Austin Voth also on the injured list with tendinitis in his right shoulder and Jeremy Hellickson off to the team’s facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., to rebuild his strength, Washington’s rotation is thin.

So the Nats need Fedde to be more effective than Tuesday night as he replaces Scherzer, and going forward if Fedde or Ross is going to step in and solidify the back end of the rotation once Scherzer returns.

“Right now, with Voth being injured, one of these two guys has got to step up,” Martinez said. “We feel like they belong here, but they've got to start making pitches and keeping us in the ballgame.”