On Thomas' big weekend, Cruz's ankle and bullpen usage

MILWAUKEE – Some more thoughts, observations and reactions following Sunday’s 8-2 victory over the Brewers, which allowed the Nationals to avoid a weekend sweep at American Family Field …

* As much attention as was given to Juan Soto, Keibert Ruiz, Nelson Cruz and Josh Bell, the member of the Nats lineup who might have had the most significant weekend actually was Lane Thomas.

The 26-year-old outfielder started all three games and went 5-for-12 with two doubles, a triple and a homer. Along the way, he raised his batting average from .202 to .228, his on-base percentage from .255 to .273 and his slugging percentage from .270 to .356.

“Man, I feel like I just see the ball well here,” he said. “And I figured out some timing stuff and just getting back in my legs and seeing the ball a little deeper, so hopefully that stays on track, too. But it just felt good to see the ball well and take some good swings.”

It’s been a rough season to date for Thomas, who after an eye-opening, 45-game audition last August and September hasn’t been able to recapture the magic and has lost considerable playing time in the process.

The opportunity to start three straight games in either left or center field, though, may have done him good. And it’s probably going to earn him more starts coming up. Manager Davey Martinez said Thomas will likely be in tonight’s lineup against Dodgers left-hander Tyler Anderson, and there’s a decent chance he’ll be hitting leadoff as well, with César Hernández bumped down to a lower spot in the order for this game.

Los Angeles sends Walker Buehler to the mound Tuesday, then goes with another left-hander Wednesday in Julio Urías.

“He’s swinging the bat well,” Martinez said of Thomas. “I saw a progression over the last few games. We’ve got these lefties coming up; he’ll get an opportunity to play tomorrow, as well.”

* Thomas’ inclusion in the lineup may not have to come at the expense of Yadiel Hernandez or Victor Robles, if Cruz isn’t able to play after spraining his right ankle during Sunday’s game.

Cruz hurt himself trying to stretch a fourth-inning single to right into a double, injuring his ankle on the slide into second base. He wound up getting replaced by Riley Adams, the backup catcher who took over as designated hitter.

Martinez described Cruz’s status as “day-to-day,” and though he said he didn’t think a roster move would be forthcoming to ensure the Nationals have another healthy position player for tonight’s game, it wouldn’t be surprising if the 41-year-old needs a little more time to recover.

“I’m going to talk to (director of athletic training Paul Lessard) now and see where he’s at,” Martinez said following the game. “(Cruz) tried to hit a little bit, but he said he was sore. Precaution, take him out and we’ll see how he feels.”

If Cruz can’t play tonight, it might make sense for Hernandez to serve as DH, opening up left field for Thomas while Robles remains in center field.

* It continues to be a challenge for Martinez to find the right opportunities to pitch his top two late-inning relievers. Neither Kyle Finnegan nor Tanner Rainey appeared in the first two games of the weekend series (both losses), so Martinez basically felt compelled to pitch both right-handers during Sunday’s win, even though his team held a comfortable six-run lead.

Both pitched well: Finnegan retired the side in the eighth, striking out a pair and throwing 10-of-14 pitches for strikes, while Rainey retired the side in the ninth on 10 pitches (eight strikes) while striking out one.

Martinez could have opted to leave both relievers in his bullpen and save them for the upcoming series against the Dodgers, but as he’s already seen too often this season, there haven’t been many opportunities to use his best relievers because his team rarely holds a slim lead late in games.

So Rainey wound up making only his sixth appearance in 22 days on Sunday, while Finnegan pitched for only the seventh time during that same prolonged span.

“They’ve got to get out there,” Martinez said. “They haven’t been out there in some time, so I wanted to keep them fresh. It’s a fine line for me, but all of a sudden here we come and we’re in a big high-leverage situation and they haven’t pitched in five days. So I want to keep them fresh.”