Thomas' All-Star case, Abbott's long layoff

It was something of a throwaway line from Davey Martinez during a postgame press conference that didn’t include many bright spots.

Minutes after his Nationals lost for the 14th time in 18 games overall, the sixth straight time against the Marlins, Martinez was mentioning Lane Thomas’ third-inning homer (which ultimately accounted for all of the team’s runs during the 4-2 loss) and how it was just the latest in an ongoing string of big hits by the starting right fielder.

“We talk about all these guys for the All-Star Game, right now Lane Thomas is possibly a guy that could make the All-Star team for us,” Martinez said. “He’s played that well.”

Lane Thomas, All-Star? It’s not a crazy thought.

Sunday’s performance left Thomas sporting a .287 batting average, 11 homers, 35 RBIs and an .822 OPS. That final number ranks 14th among all National League outfielders, so it’s not exactly elite. But it is solid, it’s far and away the best mark among all Nats regulars and it continues to rise.

Nearly all of Thomas’ production has come in the last month and a half. He finished April with very pedestrian numbers: a .260/.327/.302 slash line, zero homers and a .629 OPS. In 43 games since then, he’s been on a sustained tear, batting .301/.342/.585 with 11 homers and a .927 OPS that does rank among the league leaders.

There are three weeks to go until the All-Star break. If Thomas can maintain something close to this pace, he could wind up with something like 16 homers, a batting average in the .290s and an OPS over .850. He’d have a compelling case to represent the Nationals in Seattle.

Who else is in the running? Offensively, the only other potential candidates are Jeimer Candelario (whose .788 OPS ranks fifth among NL third basemen and 21 doubles are tied for third in the entire league) and Joey Meneses (whose .300 batting average ranks sixth in the league).

On the pitching staff, there’s Josiah Gray (whose 3.19 ERA ranks 10th in the NL) and MacKenzie Gore (whose 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings rank seventh in the NL).

It’s usually easier to find room for a pitcher on the All-Star roster than an outfielder, so that could give Gray an edge if he finishes the first half strong. But don’t discount the possibility of Thomas finding his way into the Midsummer Classic.

* For 10 days, Cory Abbott made his way into the Nationals bullpen and prepared himself to pitch if his name was called. And for 10 days, his name was never called to do anything more than warm up.

Then finally, on the 11th day, the right-hander trotted all the way to the mound and got a chance to pitch in a game. And after all that, he performed quite well.

Tasked with keeping the deficit at two runs after Patrick Corbin completed six innings, Abbott proceeded to post three straight zeroes and at least give the Nats lineup a chance to rally. He allowed one run, didn’t issue a walk, struck out two and threw 28 of his 41 pitches for strikes.

“I was a little rusty out there, to be honest,” he said afterward. “I wasn’t happy with some of my curveballs. But it is what it is, and I was able to throw enough strikes and keep them off balance.”

Abbott hadn’t pitched in any game since June 1, when he allowed one run and one hit in a five-inning start for Triple-A Rochester against Syracuse. Six days later, just as he was supposed to make his next start, he was summoned to D.C. to replace Erasmo Ramirez, who had been designated for assignment.

Abbott knew his role. He was going to be the designated long man, thrust into a game to pitch a bunch of innings if a starter got knocked out early or the team was trailing by a lot of runs. But the right situation never materialized until Sunday.

How did he try to stay sharp through it all?

“It’s the first time I’ve had to do something like that,” Abbott said. “There’s not really one way to do it. The touch-and-feel (light bullpen sessions) saved me. That’s honestly the only answer I have for you guys. Just getting reps off the mound, doing a lot of dry work, feeling off the mound, is kind of the key to just getting out there. And then the rest is just let your body do it. Let your body work.”