SS Mark Thompson: Tie-breaking HR
by Chuck Murr of IndiansInk.net, August 26, 2009 at 11:35pm ET
Mark Thompson Profile
Mark Thompson broke a 6-6 tie with an eighth-inning homer as Lake County defeated visiting Delmarva, 7-6.
Thompson (.256) went 2-for-3 with a walk, his 14th double of the season, 11th homer, two runs and three RBI. After an inconsistent first four months of the season, he has really turned it up in August, batting .311 in 24 games.
The middle infielder has been particularly hot over the past 10 games, batting .483 (14-for-29) with three doubles, three homers, 13 runs and 14 RBI. He also has drawn eight walks compared to six strikeouts and gone 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts over that stretch.
Thompson, a right-handed hitter, has done very well against right-handers this season, batting .298 with 10 homers and 44 RBI. He has struggled against lefties, hitting only .145 with one homer and four RBI.
Those are very odd stats, but points out how Thompson likes to get his arms extended on pitches out over the plate, but is eaten up by lefties who jam him on the inside corner.
For the second year in a row, however, the 5-foot-9 shortstop-second baseman is finishing with a flourish. In his first season with the Captains a year ago, he hit .298 after July 1, including .311 in August and September. That came after a brutal first half of the 2008 season when he hit only .177.
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