WASHINGTON -- At some point during the sixth inning of Sunday’s 7-0 win over the Braves, made clear when the MASN cameras later panned into the home dugout to show bench coach Chip Hale on the top step as acting manager, Nationals skipper Dave Martinez was taken to a local hospital for precautionary reasons. He is expected to be with the team in St. Louis on Monday.

Martinez was said to have been experiencing some type of undisclosed illness throughout the game, and when checked out by head trainer Paul Lessard and other members of the training staff, those involved elected to err on the side of caution and have the second-year manager fully examined off-site.

“He wasn’t feeling good,” Hale said. “Just for precautionary reasons, they took him to the hospital just to see what was going on, but we are expecting everything to be good.”

It isn’t clear exactly when Martinez will fly to St. Louis -- either with the team Sunday evening or on his own at a later time -- but the expectation is that he will be with the club for a critical series against the Cardinals that starts Monday.

“I know he’ll be in St. Louis,” Hale said. “We do expect it.”

It was a rather discreet exit for Martinez. Several of his players as well as the MASN cameras -- which caught their first glimpse of Hale in the eighth inning -- didn’t realize the manager had departed from the game.

Starter Anibal Sanchez, for example, hadn’t learned of the news until he closed out his seven innings of shutout ball. Howie Kendrick, meanwhile, heard some rumblings about Martinez not feeling well in the fifth inning and now only has the best of wishes for his skipper.

“I knew, I think it was the fifth inning maybe, and then Chip took over as manager, and then after that all you’re worrying about is that you hope he’s doing great,” Kendrick said. “I wish him the best, and I love Davey. We talk pretty much every day. He’s got a lot of insight, and I’ve known him for years, playing against him in the American League, too. He’s done a great job this year and I wish him the best for now. Like I said, I don’t know what’s really going on, but hopefully it’s nothing major.”

The Nationals, for their part, open up a six-game road trip to St. Louis and Miami starting on Monday before returning to D.C. for the final eight games of the season. The win over Atlanta on Sunday was a critical one, keeping the club afloat in the National League Wild Card race with a modest 1 1/2 game cushion as the Cubs and Brewers both won on Sunday as well.