Small change pays big dividends for Thompson

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PHILADELPHIA — Pretend you’re a Major League pitcher. Take a big step back with your left foot and lift your arms over your head, rock back a little and fire. Now eliminate those movements, just raise your lead leg and throw again.

See the difference?

That’s the change that Phillies pitching coach Bob McClure made to Jake Thompson’s delivery between Thompson’s most recent start and Monday’s, the best of his Major League career. The rookie right-hander tossed seven innings and allowed only two runs to the Nationals in a 4-0 Phillies loss at Citizens Bank Park.

Rather than the standard single side session between starts, Thompson worked back-to-back bullpens on Saturday and Sunday in New York. Prior to Saturday he’d never thrown a pitch the way he did fairly dominantly, all things considered, only two days later.

McClure approached Thompson before Saturday’s session, saying, “Hey, I want you to try this.”

He then proposed stripping Thompson’s delivery bare — …

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