Nationals' Mason Thompson: Three whiffs in first outing

Thompson walked one batter, hit another with a pitch and struck out three in a scoreless inning during Thursday's loss to the Mets.

Entering the game in the ninth inning with the Nationals down 5-1, Thompson showed both how dominant he can be -- he topped out at 97 mph with his power sinker while also mixing in a slider -- and how much he needs to work on his control to become a reliable high-leverage reliever. The Nats' bullpen has no one in established roles to begin the year, however, so if Thompson can tighten things up just a little, he could become a dark-horse candidate for saves in 2022.