Like lefty Justin Steele before him, Thompson is shifting from a bullpen role and is a candidate for a spot in the 2022 rotation.
Cubs manager David Ross wanted to see how starting pitcher Keegan Thompson competed and handled big situations.
All things considered, Ross probably liked what he got Saturday from the 26-year-old righty.
Making his first start after being stretched out at Triple-A Iowa, Thompson went four innings and allowed two runs in the Cubs’ 4-2 loss to the Royals. Like lefty Justin Steele before him, Thompson is shifting from a bullpen role and is a candidate for a spot in the 2022 rotation who has an opportunity to show his stuff over the last weeks of an otherwise lost year for the Cubs.
“I don’t think there’s really any pressure on, like ‘this is the one shot you get to be evaluated,’” Ross said “I think these are moments to come up and prove yourself. They’ve proven that they can get outs in the big leagues and they’ve proven they’re really good in certain roles, with coming out of the ‘pen.
“I think now it’s just about establishing that you can do it over the course of five, six, seven innings, going through a lineup multiple times, working in and out of jams, how you navigate that and compete throughout a game.”
If the Cubs are going to be competitive next season, young arms like Thompson and Steele and Adbert Alzolay will have to take another step. However, the first step for them personally will be earning a slot, and Thompson tried to begin building his case Saturday.
In front of an announced crowd of 34,005, Thompson threw 73 pitches over his four innings and needed to compete especially hard to give the Cubs a chance early. The Cubs offense also didn’t do him many favors, getting no-hit for six innings by Kansas City’s Kris Bubic until Patrick Wisdom’s two-run homer in the seventh.
Thompson struggled out of the gate but limited the damage, allowing a Whit Merrifield single to begin the game before Nicky Lopez followed with a double. Merrifield scored on a wild pitch though Thompson didn’t give up more runs in the inning, getting Carlos Santana to ground out to first, striking out Andrew Benintendi and then coaxing a Ryan O’Hearn fly out to end a 31-pitch first that also included a brief run-in with home plate umpire Jerry Meals.
The second was also a challenge for Thompson, who fell behind 2-0 on Lopez’s two-out single. But after that, Thompson settled in and left down just 2-0 in the first start of his audition for 2022.
“Opportunities are really good in this game,” Ross said. “There’s not a lot of times with big-market teams that are established, winning organizations that you get a chance to really make your mark. This is an opportunity for a lot of guys.”
from Chicago Sun-Times - All https://ift.tt/3sOZXu9
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