Thompson is almost unhittable
So focused, he didn’t realize how good he was
Zach Thompson has looked like a completely different pitcher since the calendar turned to May.
It started with a scoreless relief outing against the Detroit Tigers in the second game of the Pirates’ May 4 doubleheader. It escalated with five shutout innings in Thompson’s most recent start, May 8 against the Cincinnati Reds.
On Saturday, in a 3-1 win over those same Reds at PNC Park, Thompson reached a new level.
The right-hander navigated through his first five innings with no hits allowed, though he did walk three. In the sixth, he induced two consecutive groundouts before finally permitting a base hit, a single to right field by Brandon Drury against a shifted infield.
When Drury’s hit landed, the crowd at PNC Park gave Thompson an ovation. Everyone was aware of the roll he was on. Everyone except Thompson, who was too focused to realize the type of night he had.
“When it landed everyone started cheering, and I was like, ‘Why are we cheering for someone else getting a hit?’ ” Thompson said. “And then I looked out and saw there was a one [in the hit column] and was like ‘Huh.’”
Thompson stranded Drury at first, getting a flyout to end the sixth. After 76 pitches, it was the end of his night, but Thompson took yet another positive step toward righting his season following a brutal month of April.
His fortunes have changed, he said, because of a tweak in his movement on the mound. He and the Pirates had noticed that he was falling off the mound to his left. Getting back on balance has set everything else on the correct path.
“Now that I can keep my head in line, arm path is better, my direction’s better, which means my pitches will play how they’re designed,” Thompson said. “As long as I keep my head going forward I’m in good shape.”
This particular outing was impressive given its place in this Reds series, too. For all the faults within the Cincinnati offense, Friday night starter Mitch Keller found it difficult to stay off the Reds barrels, allowing extremely hard contact consistently.
Thompson achieved the opposite. He faced 21 batters, and just five of them put the ball in play with an exit velocity of 95 mph or harder. Four of those five
resulted in groundouts and the fifth was the sixth-inning flyout that ended Thompson’s night.
“Anytime a starter gives you a chance and throws up zeroes the way he did against a really good arm, it’s all you can ask for,” designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach said.
“[Reds starter] Luis Castillo is really, really good. He’s been really good for a long time, and Zach Thompson went out and just absolutely threw awesome and gave us an opportunity to put some runs up. Anytime you face an ace like Castillo, you know runs are going to be tough to come by. This game is all about Zach and the way he threw the ball.”
Thompson’s dominance was backed up by his bullpen. Right-hander Wil Crowe took the seventh and allowed one run off two singles and a walk, but right
-handers Chris Stratton and David Bednar slammed the door in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
Though the Pirates didn’t necessarily break out on offense, their minimal contributions were impressive.
In the second, the youth contingent got things going. Outfielder Jack Suwinski got on base via a fielder’s choice before shortstop Rodolfo Castro singled to put runners on the corners with two outs. A balk from Castillo did the Pirates a favor, scoring Suwinski, but the Pirates’ Diego Castillo cashed in with an RBI single soon after. Three rookies produced two early runs.
In the fourth, Vogelbach launched a 433-foot, solo home run to dead center, his first career hit against Castillo. He entered Saturday’s game 0 for 8 against him in his career, albeit with four walks.
“I was just trying to get something out over the plate,” Vogelbach said. “I was able to get a changeup that was out over and I was able to put a good swing on it. You don’t get many good ones to hit with him. He’s got really good stuff. I was able to put a good swing on it.”
Strong pitching with just enough offense has not been a winning formula for the Pirates. This game marked the first time this season the Pirates have won scoring three runs or fewer, moving them to 1-18 in such games this season.
On this night, it was a winning formula, though, thanks in large part to Thompson’s positive movement, both literally on the mound and metaphorically in the month of May.