(06-01-2014 02:14 AM)RiceDad Wrote:  

(06-01-2014 01:03 AM)westsidewolf1989 Wrote:  Great pitching by both sides tonight. Lack of offensive ability is catching up with us. We cannot keep having guys disappear in the clutch like the last 5 plus years. Not smart enough to know if it's a recruiting issue or a coaching issue, but it needs to end now.

We have never had a pitching issue, but the hitting has really pissed me off this year!! I think it both coaching and recruiting! Why can't a premiere program like ours get a better group of hitters?? BSOM!!

Easy to forget that during the Rendon years Rice had tons of offense and not much pitching. Credit to UT's pitchers last night, they looked really good. Rice doesn't have an elite offense, but overall the offense is solid. Sometimes good pitchers win most of the battles and that is what I saw last night. Also, Stainback left his bat on his shoulder for maybe the 3 best pitches to hit he saw all night. They aren't walking many, gotta take hacks when they leave them over the plate.

(06-01-2014 08:48 AM)mrbig Wrote:  

(06-01-2014 02:14 AM)RiceDad Wrote:  

(06-01-2014 01:03 AM)westsidewolf1989 Wrote:  Great pitching by both sides tonight. Lack of offensive ability is catching up with us. We cannot keep having guys disappear in the clutch like the last 5 plus years. Not smart enough to know if it's a recruiting issue or a coaching issue, but it needs to end now.

We have never had a pitching issue, but the hitting has really pissed me off this year!! I think it both coaching and recruiting! Why can't a premiere program like ours get a better group of hitters?? BSOM!!

Easy to forget that during the Rendon years Rice had tons of offense and not much pitching. Credit to UT's pitchers last night, they looked really good. Rice doesn't have an elite offense, but overall the offense is solid. Sometimes good pitchers win most of the battles and that is what I saw last night. Also, Stainback left his bat on his shoulder for maybe the 3 best pitches to hit he saw all night. They aren't walking many, gotta take hacks when they leave them over the plate.

Yep. Failing to put the ball in play early in the game with a runner at 3rd and only one out was a killer. But I agree, you have to credit the UT pitching staff. They were very good last night/this morning.

For someone with a view down the RF line, how close was the ball that Chase crushed? From my right side seats it looked like the ball was above the top of the foul pole when it left the park, but I couldn't tell how close to being fair.

(06-01-2014 09:12 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  For someone with a view down the RF line, how close was the ball that Chase crushed? From my right side seats it looked like the ball was above the top of the foul pole when it left the park, but I couldn't tell how close to being fair.

From our seats just to the right of home plate (not the greatest of angles) it look just 3 - 5 feet foul.

Really outstanding pitchers duel, with UT just a little bit better. Fox outpitched French, but our inability to capitalize on a couple early opportunities, coupled with an awful baserunning blunder (which would have otherwise given us runners on 1B and 2B, no outs, in the 7th inning), was our undoing. It's easy to second guess, but I couldn't believe The OG send Blake Fox out to start the 8th inning, with a 2-1 lead, Teykl rested and ready in the pen, with Payton and Barerra due up to leadoff the inning for the Longhorns-- both of whom tatooed Blake for well-hit doubles their previous time up. Blake was also right around 100 pitches at that point. Can't say I was surprised when Payton jumped over the first pitch for a line double down the left-field line (and, ultimately, the game-tying run).

The other killer for us all game-- and my pet peeve the past several seasons-- is that our pitchers repeatedly threw 0-2 and 1-2 pitches in the zone, and most of them were very hittable fastballs....resulting in at least half of UT's hits for the game, and all their runs. Even more frustrating, on several of those occassions (e.g., the leadoff double in the 11th, which was the killer for us), we grooved the 0-2 pitch with noone on base (and, consequently, no risk of a wild pitch or passed ball on a pitch buried in the dirt)....and to their #9 hitter, no less. It's very difficult to win if we keep giving batters hittable pitches when ahead in the count.

Very frustrating, to say the least.

I also go back to our opportunity to throw the runner out at the plate on the short F9.

You could kind of smell the direction the momentum was going at that point - and that we had caught some breaks with their base running - and this felt like our opportunity to lock things down.

(06-01-2014 02:15 AM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  In theory, who do we even have left to pitch?

McDowell versus A&M. Have to hope for a complete game.

Who then?

Yup, gotta assume it's McDowell as long as he can go, and hold McCarthy for a potential game tonight. That means Teykl and Orewiler out of the pen (as I cannot believe Zech will be able to go 3 days in a row). As it was, Zech's velocity last night was down 4 - 5 MPH from Friday. And, if we miraculously make it to Championship Monday, you go back to Duplantier to start, with McCanna and Lemond available in relief.

The problem with have today is that the Aggies match up very well against McDowell, as they are a left-handed laden lineup (4 lefties and a switch-hitter in their everyday lineup, including three of their top 4 hitters), who are very patient at the plate and who don't strikeout at a particularly high rate. Conversely, on the mound, though the Aggies' weakness is their starting pitching, their bullpen is elite-level, deep, and features three outstanding left-handed pitchers, including two (Minter, Schottman) with truly exceptional across-the-board numbers. If we are to win this game and advance to face UT at least one more time, the offense is going to have to find it's mojo early, and build a sizable lead by the 3rd or 4th inning. I presume the Aggies are going to start either Parker Ray (5.71 ERA, .275 BAA) or Tyler Stubblefield (4.14 ERA, .284 BAA), but it wouldn't shock me if they started their 3rd southpaw reliever, Matt Kent, who did start 4 games for them this year as well as working middle relief (3.02 ERA, .273 BAA, 44.2 IP, 7 BBs, 32 Ks).

(06-01-2014 09:45 AM)Orange County Owl Wrote:  I also go back to our opportunity to throw the runner out at the plate on the short F9.

You could kind of smell the direction the momentum was going at that point - and that we had caught some breaks with their base running - and this felt like our opportunity to lock things down.

Unfortunately, Payton is their fastest runner, and credit Cook for making it a bang-bang play. In fact, from our angle, it actually looked as if Payton slid short of the plate...but, in retrospect, Reeves was unable to block the plate or he probably would have been out. it was a terrific throw from Cook.

(06-01-2014 09:09 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(06-01-2014 08:48 AM)mrbig Wrote:  

(06-01-2014 02:14 AM)RiceDad Wrote:  

(06-01-2014 01:03 AM)westsidewolf1989 Wrote:  Great pitching by both sides tonight. Lack of offensive ability is catching up with us. We cannot keep having guys disappear in the clutch like the last 5 plus years. Not smart enough to know if it's a recruiting issue or a coaching issue, but it needs to end now.

We have never had a pitching issue, but the hitting has really pissed me off this year!! I think it both coaching and recruiting! Why can't a premiere program like ours get a better group of hitters?? BSOM!!

Easy to forget that during the Rendon years Rice had tons of offense and not much pitching. Credit to UT's pitchers last night, they looked really good. Rice doesn't have an elite offense, but overall the offense is solid. Sometimes good pitchers win most of the battles and that is what I saw last night. Also, Stainback left his bat on his shoulder for maybe the 3 best pitches to hit he saw all night. They aren't walking many, gotta take hacks when they leave them over the plate.

Yep. Failing to put the ball in play early in the game with a runner at 3rd and only one out was a killer. But I agree, you have to credit the UT pitching staff. They were very good last night/this morning.

(06-01-2014 09:46 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-01-2014 02:15 AM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  In theory, who do we even have left to pitch?

McDowell versus A&M. Have to hope for a complete game.

Who then?

Yup, gotta assume it's McDowell as long as he can go, and hold McCarthy for a potential game tonight. That means Teykl and Orewiler out of the pen (as I cannot believe Zech will be able to go 3 days in a row). As it was, Zech's velocity last night was down 4 - 5 MPH from Friday. And, if we miraculously make it to Championship Monday, you go back to Duplantier to start, with McCanna and Lemond available in relief.

The problem with have today is that the Aggies match up very well against McDowell, as they are a left-handed laden lineup (4 lefties and a switch-hitter in their everyday lineup, including three of their top 4 hitters), who are very patient at the plate and who don't strikeout at a particularly high rate. Conversely, on the mound, though the Aggies' weakness is their starting pitching, their bullpen is elite-level, deep, and features three outstanding left-handed pitchers, including two (Minter, Schottman) with truly exceptional across-the-board numbers. If we are to win this game and advance to face UT at least one more time, the offense is going to have to find it's mojo early, and build a sizable lead by the 3rd or 4th inning. I presume the Aggies are going to start either Parker Ray (5.71 ERA, .275 BAA) or Tyler Stubblefield (4.14 ERA, .284 BAA), but it wouldn't shock me if they started their 3rd southpaw reliever, Matt Kent, who did start 4 games for them this year as well as working middle relief (3.02 ERA, .273 BAA, 44.2 IP, 7 BBs, 32 Ks).

Walt:

Didn't kent pitch 3 or 4 innings on friday

(06-01-2014 09:48 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-01-2014 09:45 AM)Orange County Owl Wrote:  I also go back to our opportunity to throw the runner out at the plate on the short F9.

You could kind of smell the direction the momentum was going at that point - and that we had caught some breaks with their base running - and this felt like our opportunity to lock things down.

Unfortunately, Payton is their fastest runner, and credit Cook for making it a bang-bang play. In fact, from our angle, it actually looked as if Payton slid short of the plate...but, in retrospect, Reeves was unable to block the plate or he probably would have been out. it was a terrific throw from Cook.

Actually, if you get a chance to watch the TV replays, he probably would have been out by five feet had the throw not been up the line a bit.

However, as Tiki and I were discussing during the game, it appeared that the fly ball was hit at angle that made it difficult for Cook to line up his momentum for an accurate throw.

Definitely didn't "cost us the game" - but can throw it in the hopper with the other opportunties.

(06-01-2014 09:46 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  I presume the Aggies are going to start either Parker Ray (5.71 ERA, .275 BAA) or Tyler Stubblefield (4.14 ERA, .284 BAA), but it wouldn't shock me if they started their 3rd southpaw reliever, Matt Kent, who did start 4 games for them this year as well as working middle relief (3.02 ERA, .273 BAA, 44.2 IP, 7 BBs, 32 Ks).

Kent pitched 5.2 innings of relief on Friday against UT (75 pitches). I think we'll see Parker Ray. I suspect A&M holds out Stubblefield for a Sunday night game and then possibly goes back to Mengden if they get that far on Monday.

Rain building a bit to the east and generally is moving this direction. Sigh. But I wonder if our atmosphere might finally be juiced out so perhaps Houston dodges most of it today. I think Baton Rogue is the likely destination today for rain delays.

(06-01-2014 09:48 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-01-2014 09:45 AM)Orange County Owl Wrote:  I also go back to our opportunity to throw the runner out at the plate on the short F9.

You could kind of smell the direction the momentum was going at that point - and that we had caught some breaks with their base running - and this felt like our opportunity to lock things down.

Unfortunately, Payton is their fastest runner, and credit Cook for making it a bang-bang play. In fact, from our angle, it actually looked as if Payton slid short of the plate...but, in retrospect, Reeves was unable to block the plate or he probably would have been out. it was a terrific throw from Cook.

Reeves wasn't able to block the plate because the throw was way wide. It was a fast and low throw, but I wouldn't call it terrific since it was so far off target it allowed the run despite getting their much earlier than Payton.