Keegan Thompson shouldn’t be switching up his routine.
No matter how the Chicago Cubs have used the right-hander this 12 months, he maintains the identical warmup course of — even earlier than begins. Forget the standard pregame lengthy tossing within the outfield by the beginning pitcher. Thompson has discovered a setup that works, and he isn’t abandoning it simply because the Cubs are giving him an opportunity to start out.
Just as he does throughout video games earlier than multi-inning reduction appearances, Thompson heads to the bullpen mound and goes by his pitches, avoiding a protracted warmup.
“I’m still sticking with that routine until it doesn’t work,” he mentioned.
Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy has seen Thompson be taught what works finest for him to organize for a sport, whatever the state of affairs.
“Every routine is different, and maybe he’s found that his routine is more of a reliever-type routine,” Hottovy informed the Tribune on Wednesday. “But we are saying ‘as a reliever’ — it’s not, it’s simply your routine.
“It’s funny, like, everybody sees him as a starter and you have to have a certain throwing routine. You don’t. Your routine is your routine if it’s working. Obviously something’s good there.”
Thompson delivered the longest begin of his younger profession Thursday evening, going 5⅓ innings within the Cubs’ 7-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. He allowed three runs on 5 hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
Two of these walks got here towards the final two Cardinals he confronted within the sixth as his command wavered. He was “very disappointed” by that sequence however happy general along with his begin.
“Everything’s been mechanical adjustments,” Thompson mentioned. “When I go wrong, that’s pulling my head off and a little too early coming out of it. So when I do that, I know what I’m doing wrong. It’s just getting back in there.”
Through 12 appearances (4 begins), Thompson owns a 1.99 ERA, second-best on the Cubs pitching employees. The 27-year-old former third-round decide is attempting not to consider his stellar starting to the season.
“It’s easier said than done, and I probably don’t do a great job of it,” Thompson mentioned. “But just trying to keep those jitters and the anxious feeling building up to the start day and trying to keep those in check.”
With his sixth win of the season — tied for many within the majors — Thompson is the tenth Cubs pitcher since 1916 to start out a season at the very least 6-0. The final to do it was Jake Arrieta in 2016.
“We tried to push him a little bit longer, but a really nice outing,” supervisor David Ross mentioned. “Consistent as we’ve had. A guy that continues to impress for sure.”
Beyond placing the Cubs in place to beat the Cardinals within the groups’ first assembly of the season, two parts of Thompson’s begin have been notable: his capability to take care of his fastball velocity into the sixth and the way he included his changeup.
Ross preferred seeing Thompson make the most of the changeup towards the Cardinals’ right-handed hitters to generate weak contact. Thompson, who threw 10 changeups, needs groups to have the pitch on their scouting reviews to maintain them off steadiness.
“We had to switch it up and mix in the curveball and changeup later in the game, which was really effective,” catcher P.J. Higgins mentioned. “I‘ve known him for a while and he’s pretty adaptable.”
That adaptability is clearly current on a giant and small scale with Thompson. Right-hander Alec Mills understands what goes right into a swing function, one thing the Cubs have harnessed with Mills during the last 4 years.
Count Mills, 30, amongst these wowed by Thompson’s efficiency this 12 months as a multi-use pitcher.
“I mean, that’s special, obviously,” Mills mentioned Thursday. “He’s making it look easy. I promise you (it’s not). I don’t know, maybe I made it look hard. … He’s a weapon.”
Mills believes he may be taught from how Thompson depends on the identical warmup routine. If he have been to undergo the swing function once more, Mills mentioned he would assault it otherwise.
“There’s some things that I definitely regret doing when I was in that role,” he mentioned. “I used to be generally type of scared to throw off the mound that day, pondering, oh, perhaps I have to go three or 4 (innings) at present.
“But you can throw eight or 10 (pitches) off the mound and be fine to go that day. And that’s something I think I need to get over with. But for (Thompson), that’s something that’s good for him.”
Hottovy informed the Tribune that Thompson will likely be within the rotation “for at least the foreseeable future.” But how the Cubs use Thompson throughout their upcoming five-game journey stays to be seen. His subsequent begin would align with a time off Monday forward of a two-game set in Baltimore, and the Cubs get one other time off Thursday earlier than three video games towards the New York Yankees.
The Cubs may not have the identical kind of dynamic multi-inning reliever as Thompson for nonetheless lengthy they maintain him within the rotation. They nonetheless have lengthy reduction choices, although. Right-hander Michael Rucker can provide size, as can Mark Leiter Jr. when he’s on the roster. Mills, who’s eligible to return off the 60-day injured record Monday, is scheduled to make one other Triple-A rehab begin Tuesday.
“(Mills) has proven over his career to be able to bounce back and forth with that role too,” Hottovy mentioned.
The well being of the rotation probably will dictate Thompson’s function. Hottovy expressed optimism Wednesday that Wade Miley may rejoin the rotation when he’s eligible to return off the 15-day IL on June 10 in New York. Drew Smyly’s return from a proper indirect pressure, nonetheless, shouldn’t be imminent.
Smyly mentioned there isn’t a timetable for when he can resume baseball actions. He must have pain-free vary of movement earlier than progressing.
“It’s probably going to be a little while, like a month, before I can start to really have an idea of how close I am,” Smyly mentioned Thursday. “If you try to push it and come back too early, you’re just going to reinjure it. It’s not something you can push through.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com