Robles still hitting, Vargas jams shoulder, Thompson preps to close

DENVER – When he did it in spring training, there were the obvious caveats attached. When he did it through the season’s first week, there was still reason to withhold judgment until the sample size was larger. And even though he continued to do it over the weekend, you still can’t talk about Victor Robles’ early season success without pointing out he just played four games at Coors Field, which can inflate any ballplayer’s offensive numbers.

So, yes, it’s still far too early to declare that Robles has been “fixed” or that his production through 10 games is definitely sustainable. But it’s not hard to look at what the Nationals center fielder is doing and believe that there is some legitimacy to it.

First, there are the cold, hard facts. Robles is batting .387 (12-for-31) with a .472 on-base percentage. He has drawn five walks. He has scored five runs.

Then there is the manner in which he has done this. He has dramatically cut down on his strikeouts, with only three of them to his name in 37 plate appearances. He is executing in near-flawless ways in fundamentals, whether placing a perfect safety squeeze to score the decisive run in Saturday’s win or singling through the vacated right side of the infield on a hit-and-run during Sunday’s loss. And we haven’t even discussed his work in center field yet, with several notable instances of restraint when in the past he would be tempted to throw the ball away.

All of these are encouraging signs, and reason to hope the 25-year-old is finally turning a corner after several disappointing seasons.

So, how is Robles doing it?

“Same question we’ve had since spring training, and it’s the same answer: Just my focus has changed,” he said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “I’ve been more patient, wait for my pitch and make sure I don’t miss it.”

Indeed, Robles is laying off breaking balls out of the zone with more consistency than in the past. He’s still not making hard contact every time up, but the pitches he does hit are the ones that should be hit.

The Nationals are more than pleased with the progress Robles has made. They aren’t asking him to be a five-tool player like the one he was supposed to be as a top-rated prospect six years ago. They are asking to play a better brand of baseball, executing correctly in the proper situations and understanding where his most valuable contributions to the team are.

“We talk to Vic a lot about what he can be, and he’s doing it,” manager Davey Martinez said. “That’s the kind of player that I can see him being: A guy that constantly gets on base, does the little things well, plays good defense. He’s doing well. We’ve just got to sustain it now.”

* Luis Garcia missed his second straight game Sunday with right hamstring tightness, but the young second baseman seems to be making progress and could be back in the lineup tonight against the Angels.

Garcia, who hurt himself running out a groundball Friday night, took part in agility drills prior to Sunday’s game. His swing is not affected by the hamstring injury, so it’s just a matter of his ability to run at full speed before he returns to the lineup.

The Nationals nearly found themselves down two second basemen Sunday after Ildemaro Vargas jammed his left shoulder making a diving play to his left in the bottom of the first. Vargas got up to his knees but was unable to make a strong throw to first in time to get the Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon. He then grabbed his left shoulder in pain.

Martinez and director of athletic training Paul Lessard checked on Vargas, who was able to stay out there and finish the game with no apparent issues. He did have the shoulder packed in ice after the game, though, and said he jammed it on the play, hoping the injury isn’t anything serious.

Even if both Garcia and Vargas are unavailable tonight, Michael Chavis could get the start at second base against Angels left-hander Jose Suarez.

* Heavy bullpen usage during Friday and Saturday’s victories left Martinez with a depleted unit for Sunday’s game. Kyle Finnegan, Carl Edwards Jr. and Hunter Harvey all were unavailable after pitching back-to-back days. That forced Martinez to push starter Chad Kuhl farther than he would have preferred, then turn to Erasmo Ramirez and Hobie Harris in what devolved into a nightmare bottom of the sixth that cost the Nationals the game.

Even so, the Nats still had a chance to tie or take the lead in the top of the ninth, raising the question: Who would have closed if it came to that?

The answer: Mason Thompson, who was informed before the game he would have the ninth inning and began warming up just in case his teammates rallied. The 25-year-old right-hander did get credit for a three-inning save last September, so this wouldn’t have been his first in the majors. He has been the Nats’ most effective reliever early this season, allowing one run on three hits over eight innings, striking out seven without issuing a walk yet.