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Phillies' Jake Thompson roughed up in loss to White Sox

CHICAGO - Jake Thompson threw a 90-mph fastball Tuesday night and watched it fly. Jose Abreu clobbered a two-run homer. Thompson, a 22-year-old Phillies rookie making his fourth career start, received a new ball. Twice, he tapped his left spike on the mound at U.S. Cellular Field. He dug his right foot into the dirt.

CHICAGO - Jake Thompson threw a 90-mph fastball Tuesday night and watched it fly. Jose Abreu clobbered a two-run homer. Thompson, a 22-year-old Phillies rookie making his fourth career start, received a new ball. Twice, he tapped his left spike on the mound at U.S. Cellular Field. He dug his right foot into the dirt.

Three pitches later, he allowed another home run.

This, a 9-1 loss to the White Sox, was yet another nightmare for Thompson. He could not throw strikes. When he did, they were meatballs. He has never looked settled during his first taste of the majors. It is a disconcerting feeling for one of the team's most-regarded prospects.

"I don't really have the answer right now to fix it," Thompson said. "I feel I'm certainly a lot better than my performance has indicated."

The Phillies did not envision immediate greatness from Thompson, a righthander who profiles as a mid-rotation starter. But, rebuilding team or not, they have to question Thompson's current aptitude for a spot in the rotation.

Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said he would have to consult general manager Matt Klentak before deciding whether Thompson will make his next start as scheduled.

"The thing that we don't want to happen and I don't want to see is he keeps getting beat up and keep struggling like this," Mackanin said. "We'll talk about it and see what Matt wants to do."

Mackanin, at least, admitted he was concerned about Thompson's confidence. The rookie dismissed those fears.

"That hasn't changed," Thompson said. "Whenever I step on the mound, I feel that I have the upper hand. That's one of the more frustrating parts. It's not that I'm down on myself or anything like that. I'm just not throwing strikes."

Thompson's 9.78 ERA equals the mark through four starts that Alec Asher, another piece acquired in the Cole Hamels trade, posted last season. The worst ERA for a Phillies pitcher over his first four starts is Mike Maddux's 9.98 from 1986.

At triple-A Lehigh Valley, Thompson was a pitcher with exemplary command. He walked 37 batters in 1292/3 innings pitched - a rate of 2.6 per nine innings. That has jumped to 6.1 walks per nine innings in the majors.

He has as many walks (13) as strikeouts in his four big-league starts.

"Everybody knows he's got the stuff," catcher Cameron Rupp said. "It's just he's got to be able to command it."

Thompson fell behind hitters all night. He fired first-pitch strikes to just 11 of the 25 batters he faced. He threw 20 pitches in the first inning, 13 of which were balls, and somehow allowed just one run.

Adam Eaton started it with a triple to left, a ball that Tyler Goeddel misjudged. A groundout scored Eaton. Thompson walked Melky Cabrera and Abreu, which prompted an uncharacteristic first-inning visit from pitching coach Bob McClure. Their conversation was brief. Thompson escaped with a double play on a comebacker.

In the third, a bunt single and triple plated another run. Thompson walked Cabrera. Again, McClure emerged from the dugout. The conversation, this time, was longer.

Thompson ended the third inning having thrown 33 strikes and 28 balls. In the fourth, he retired the White Sox in order; it was just the sixth time in 20 chances that Thompson tossed a 1-2-3 inning.

That sensation did not linger. Abreu and Justin Morneau crushed back-to-back homers. Thompson, a rookie whose future is unwritten even after four miserable starts, was resigned to again contemplate failure.

"Nobody wants to see anybody fail," Rupp said. "It's hard to go through. It's something that's going to make him better when he does finally figure it out and overcomes some of the rough patches he's having. He's going to be good."

mgelb@philly.com

@mattgelb