Thompson looks sharp, Robles blasts a pair on rehab

HOUSTON – There was what appeared to be a bounceback performance 2 1/2 weeks ago in Kansas City, prompting the question: Was Mason Thompson back?

The answer, at that time: No, he wasn’t. The Nationals reliever followed up an encouraging, two-scoreless-inning appearance May 27 against the Royals with a three-run meltdown three days later at Dodger Stadium.

So take this with a grain of salt. But after another dominant performance Tuesday night during the Nats’ 6-1 loss to the Astros, Thompson continued a more recent trend that suggests he may actually be coming out of his long funk at last.

“Absolutely, he’s getting back,” manager Davey Martinez insisted.

What did Thompson do in this game to stand out? He faced three batters in the bottom of the sixth and proceeded to retire the side, inducing a grounder to short and then back-to-back strikeouts of Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers.

Thompson did this while throwing 11 of his 14 pitches for strikes. He did it with a sinker that averaged 96 mph. And he did it with better mechanics, pulling his right arm back before unleashing each pitch instead of short-arming it the way he did through much of May while struggling.

“In maybe one out of eight pitches, he shortened up his arm action a little bit,” Martinez said. “But other than that, he’s doing really well. So that’s great to see. We have to run him out there to make sure he continues to do it, but he looks really good right now.”

Thompson was the most pleasant surprise in the Nationals bullpen in April, allowing only two earned runs over 18 2/3 innings that saw him strike out 17 while walking only one opposing batter.

But things quickly turned south from there. Over his next seven games, Thompson allowed 10 runs and 13 hits in only 4 2/3 innings, striking out the same number of batters as he walked: four.

The trend has returned to a positive direction in recent weeks. The aforementioned three-run blowup in L.A. represents the only time Thompson has allowed an earned run in his last nine appearances. Tuesday’s 1-2-3 inning was his best in a long time, which can only be viewed as a positive development for a Nationals bullpen that desperately needs more reliable arms.

* The Nats could’ve used a bit of power from anyone in their lineup Tuesday night. Like the power their regular center fielder had on display in Rochester.

Victor Robles, not typically known for such things, blasted two homers and also recorded a double in his third game on rehab at Triple-A. The 26-year-old, out since May 7 with a back injury, also drew a walk, reaching base (and then scoring) in each of his four plate appearances.

Robles’ surprising power display surely was welcome, but perhaps not as much as his continued keen eye at the plate. He has drawn a walk in each of his three games with Rochester, continuing to show improvement as he did in D.C. before getting hurt: Robles’ 9.4 percent walk rate in the majors is the highest of his career, and his 13.1 percent strikeout rate is the lowest.

Robles is expected to stay with Rochester through at least Thursday. After that, the Nationals will need to decide if he’s ready to come off the injured list or if he needs to stay in the minors a few more days to get more at-bats before he’s activated.