After three-inning save, Nats intrigued by Thompson

ST. LOUIS – When he took the mound for the bottom of the seventh Monday afternoon, Mason Thompson was focused solely on completing that inning. When he proceeded to retire the side on eight pitches, his mind turned to the possibility of returning for the bottom of the eighth. And when he proceeded to get through that inning on 13 pitches, he realized he might just get the opportunity to go back out there for the bottom of the ninth.

And when he proceeded to retire the side again on 11 pitches, Thompson not only found himself in the center of the diamond for a game-ending celebration, but having also recorded the first save of his big league career because he completed three innings of relief to seal his team’s win, even if it was by more than three runs.

“It definitely wasn’t something that I woke up and expected to do today, but it was pretty awesome,” the 24-year-old right-hander said. “I knew after that second one, maybe I’d get a chance to run out there for a third. I was glad that they were able to let me do that. It was pretty awesome.”

Three-inning saves, a staple of the 1970s and ’80s, aren’t particularly common these days. Thompson became only the seventh Nationals reliever to do it in club history, and the list is pretty eccentric: Steven Shell (2008), Tom Gorzelanny (2012), Ross Detwiler (2014), A.J. Cole (2015), Kyle McGowin (2019) and Javy Guerra (2019).

Thompson, though, may be the type of pitcher who has the opportunity to do this more than once. Club officials seem to believe his future is as a multi-inning reliever.

“Yeah, for me right now it’s a two-plus-inning guy,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We saw him go three innings (Monday); he threw the ball really, really well. I could see him doing that in the future.”

Martinez even brought up the possibility of an even more unusual role for Thompson, based on his three-pitch arsenal and ability to get both right-handed and left-handed batters out: Opener.

Before we get too crazy here, though, let’s acknowledge how well Thompson has performed as something of a traditional, one-inning reliever this season. He’s made only 11 big league appearances, a product of an early season biceps injury and two demotions to Triple-A Rochester this summer, but he’s been highly effective when on the mound.

In those 11 major league appearances spanning 12 innings, Thompson has allowed only one run on six hits, walking three while striking out eight. That works out to an 0.75 ERA and an 0.750 WHIP.

“I feel great. I’m really happy with the way I’ve pitched this season,” he said. “But the season’s far from over still. I still have to put in some work and hopefully finish the season off strong, come back next year and hopefully have a full, healthy season of doing what I’m doing right now.”

The Nationals have been intrigued by Thompson’s potential since they acquired him from the Padres at the 2021 trade deadline for Daniel Hudson. Possessor of a heavy, high-90s sinker, a sharp slider and a changeup that’s still rounding into form, he made 27 appearances for the Nats in August and September 2021 and had command issues, issuing 14 walks in only 21 2/3 innings.

The numbers have been far more encouraging this year, both at Triple-A and in the majors. Which does raise the question: Why was he sent down to Rochester twice this summer, even when he was pitching well?

The answer lies less in Thompson’s stats, but in the simple fact he still has minor league options while others in the Nationals bullpen do not. That made him an easy choice for demotion, though it didn’t make it easy to accept.

“It gets a little frustrating at times, but of course that’s the way the game is,” Thompson said. “It’s a business, and I understand that. I just have to go out there and control what I can and help the team win when I can, whatever team that may be.”

Thompson has been doing that since his most recent recall from Triple-A last week. In two outings so far, he’s retired 12-of-13 batters faced.

There figure to be plenty more opportunities for him over the season’s final month, as the Nationals try to figure out how he fits into their future plans. Is Thompson a late-inning reliever? Is he a multi-inning bridge reliever? Is he an opener?

Whatever they decide, the Nats do appreciate the fact he can pitch multiple innings, and be successful doing it.

“As you can see, all around the league, starters are not going deep in games anymore,” Martinez said. “So to have a guy who can come in maybe the fifth inning, and go two-plus innings for us and get us to the back end of our bullpen, that's going to be very important moving forward."