Thompson has rough go in 2nd act vs. Reds

MIAMI -- Rookie right-hander Zach Thompson allowed a career-high five runs, while the bats couldn't solve Wade Miley in the Marlins' 6-0 loss to the Reds on Friday night at loanDepot park. It marked the 12th time Miami has been shut out this season.

With the 2021 campaign winding down, Thompson will be assessed like the rest of his teammates. Below are two topics that address what he has accomplished and what lies in store for him.

What is the adjustment process like during a rookie season?

Friday posed the challenge of facing a club in consecutive outings for the first time. Thompson stuck with the same game plan as last Saturday, when he allowed two runs over five innings. This time around, he noticed the Reds were more aggressive and willing to ambush.

Thompson credited pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. for helping him break down every pitch to figure out what stuff works and doesn't work against certain guys.

In Friday’s series opener, Thompson felt he went to his cutter more than he should have (48% vs. 32.6% season average). During a four-run fourth for the Reds, Mike Moustakas and Miley produced RBI doubles off cutters. Thompson said the offering is something he can count on as an action pitch to miss barrels with, but he spun it a few times. Since converting from relief to starting work, he has gone from being a fastball-cutter-curveball pitcher to adding a changeup and a sinker to the mix.

“The biggest adjustment is just figuring out what works during the games, because obviously you can look at something on a piece of paper or video and you can look at these perfect days and perfect pitches, and then it's kind of figuring out what's going to work for me most of the time,” Thompson said. “Or if I don't have a certain pitch, what can I use otherwise? And that's kind of where the changeup came in early on in the season. If I wasn't able to execute a cutter, I was able to rely on a changeup, something that's going the other way. There's just been a lot of stuff that we've been working on developing, and making sure that I can learn from bad days of certain pitches and what I can really adapt with game by game.”

Thompson has done a good job of that. Entering the series opener, opponents were batting .222 (22-for-99) their first time through the order, and then just .183 after that.

What does the future have in store for Thompson?

The Marlins have used a franchise-record 18 starting pitchers this season because of a multitude of injuries. Thompson, who signed a Minor League deal in November, became one of the players to receive an opportunity. His contract was selected on June 5, and he has been a mainstay in the rotation ever since. Though Thompson is winless in his last nine starts, he has allowed three runs or fewer in seven of them.

Thompson had been pitching out of the bullpen since 2018, including his eight appearances for the Jumbo Shrimp this season. That changed when he joined Miami's rotation. Thompson is at 62 2/3 innings across 13 starts, putting him on pace to throw his most frames in four years.

But what will the rotation look like over the final month of the season? All-Star Trevor Rogers (restricted list) is scheduled for one more rehab start with Low-A Jupiter on Sunday, while Pablo López (right rotator cuff strain) had his rehab slowed down. Jesús Luzardo is trying to regain his form, while rosters can expand to 28 players beginning Sept. 1.

“I want to watch him, honestly,” manager Don Mattingly said. “I know he's had some bigger inning counts earlier on in his career. It's been a while since I think he's thrown probably this many innings, so keep an eye on him. I think the stomach thing did set him back [in early July]; he lost some weight. It seemed like it took him two or three starts to kind of start to get his stuff back. But I thought the last couple times, it's been a little sharper. He's kept us in most games, quite honestly. He's been a guy that keeps you in a game, and he's pitched against some good teams. He's really done a nice job.”