Inexperienced bullpen is going to deal with more bumps

Two weeks ago, if the Nationals held a 7-5 lead heading to the seventh inning, Davey Martinez wouldn't have needed to think too hard about his upcoming pitching decisions. Provided everyone was available, he would've had Kyle Finnegan pitch the seventh, then Daniel Hudson the eighth and Brad Hand the ninth.

It wouldn't always have worked, and certainly during those final days before the trade deadline Hand was anything but a sure thing. But the decision-making process that resulted in those three relievers taking the mound for the final three innings was about as simple as it gets.

When confronted with that very scenario Wednesday evening in New York, though, Martinez's options were dramatically diminished. Hudson is now a Padre, Hand now a Blue Jay. Finnegan is now his closer.

So for the seventh inning, the Nationals manager went with Gabe Klobosits, a 26-year-old rookie who began the season at Double-A Harrisburg. And for the eighth, he called upon Mason Thompson, a 23-year-old rookie who had a 6.00 ERA in 67 career minor league appearances before making his major league debut earlier this summer for San Diego.

And for the ninth? Well, it never came to that, because Klobosits and Thompson combined to give up the three runs that turned that 7-5 lead into an 8-7 loss to the Mets.

This is the situation the Nationals now find themselves in, and will continue to find themselves in the rest of this wayward season. They simply don't have experienced late-inning options in their bullpen anymore, only potentially promising young pitchers who now must be thrown into the fire and hope not to get burned too much.

"There are going to be some bumps and bruises along the way," Martinez said in his postgame Zoom session with reporters. "But I still like the way they're throwing the ball."

Both Klobosits and Thompson had shown promise prior to Wednesday's game, including in some late-inning, high-leverage spots. But neither has the track record yet to give anyone complete comfort in their ability to get through these situations without giving up a lead. And so outcomes like this one are, unfortunately, going to happen more than anyone would prefer.

More important than the end result of any one outing or game, from the Nationals' perspective, is that these young relievers get something positive out of the experience and ultimately perform better in the long run because of it.

"Definitely have a group of younger guys in the clubhouse, and I think a lot of us are in the same boat, as far as trying to get up here and compete as a group while also getting that experience," said Thompson, acquired from the Padres at the deadline for Hudson. "Of course, at the end of the day our goal is to still win and compete as best we can. So far, we've done good job of that. But of course, we're going to face adversity at times. Everyone does. For us, it's important to take these lessons and learn from them and come back better from it."

Thompson's outing Wednesday was particularly frustrating, because it included a self-inflicted mistake. After allowing a leadoff double to J.D. Davis, he was handed an easy out on Jonathan Villar's sacrifice bunt back to the mound. But when Thompson hurled the ball past a lunging Josh Bell at first base, the tying run scored and the Mets found themselves in prime position to take the lead for good.

"Gotta get the leadoff guy out. And then when you don't, gotta make the play," Thompson said. "When they're giving you an out, gotta make the play and make your job a lot easier."

Two batters later, the Mets had the lead on Brandon Drury's soft single over a drawn-in infield. Thompson had himself a blown save and a loss.

It's a tough pill for a rookie reliever to swallow. But given the Nationals' situation now, it's probably not the last time he'll have to swallow it. And he probably won't have to wait long to get another opportunity to change the outcome.

"It's tough, especially when the team puts you in a position to win the game there and you don't come through," he said. "But you've got to have a short memory, especially being in the bullpen. I'll get past this as quickly as possible and get on to the next one."