I believe that I have identified our true weakness: NIGHT games.

On Friday NIGHTS, we are 4 - 4. On Sunday games (generally the earliest start of the week), we are 7 - 1, with our only loss being the Sunday NIGHT start at Minute Maid. In fact, all three losses at Minute Maid were NIGHT games.

When we play at NIGHT, we get fewer hits and score fewer runs. Our team need to learn to hit at NIGHT. Opposing coaches have clearly picked up on this weakness. Our upcoming road weekend series include several Saturday games that have been scheduled for NIGHT time starts.

Last NIGHT, we struggled yet again (although we did win).

We need to recruit NIGHT Owls. Until then, we should simply stop scheduling NIGHT games.

I know what you are thinking "Hey, we have struggled in some day games, too".

But lets looks are our season record.

Night games: 9 - 6
Day games: 12 - 5

The difference is clear. We can't hit at night.

(04-13-2016 12:36 PM)temchugh Wrote:  I know what you are thinking "Hey, we have struggled in some day games, too".

But lets looks are our season record.

Night games: 9 - 6
Day games: 12 - 5

The difference is clear. We can't hit at night.

I hope you aren't being serious.

Heavy doses of Vitamin A may help.

The night effect is slightly stronger than the (widely accepted) lefty-starter effect:

Rice against lefty starters: 8 - 5
Rice against rightly starters: 13-6

Heaven help us if we have to face a lefty starter in a night game.

Have you considered who we face in our night games. We face the opposing team's ace every Friday night. One would think our numbers would be a little lower because of that alone.

(04-13-2016 12:36 PM)temchugh Wrote:  I know what you are thinking "Hey, we have struggled in some day games, too".

But lets looks are our season record.

Night games: 9 - 6
Day games: 12 - 5

The difference is clear. We can't hit at night.

it's dark..

(04-13-2016 01:10 PM)dirtybirds Wrote:  Have you considered who we face in our night games. We face the opposing team's ace every Friday night. One would think our numbers would be a little lower because of that alone.

Don't we start our ace on Friday night, too? So hitting might be down on both sides, but this should not explain the imbalance in win/loss record.

(04-13-2016 01:10 PM)dirtybirds Wrote:  Have you considered who we face in our night games. We face the opposing team's ace every Friday night. One would think our numbers would be a little lower because of that alone.

Dirtybirds brings up a great point and I definitely agree with this conclusion.

Trying to find a cause of the teams struggles is futile, as there are so many factors throughout any given game. That being said...

over 70% of our losses have come on.......

(drumroll)........

ODD NUMBERED DAYS (I hope I counted correctly)

Games on even numbered days: 13-3 (.813 Win %)
Games on odd numbered days: 8-8 (.500 Win %)

This is clearly the root of our problem. We can only pray that our crucial games going forward fall on even numbered days.

(04-13-2016 02:41 PM)RiceOwl Wrote:  

(04-13-2016 01:10 PM)dirtybirds Wrote:  Have you considered who we face in our night games. We face the opposing team's ace every Friday night. One would think our numbers would be a little lower because of that alone.

Dirtybirds brings up a great point and I definitely agree with this conclusion.

Trying to find a cause of the teams struggles is futile, as there are so many factors throughout any given game. That being said...

over 70% of our losses have come on.......

(drumroll)........

ODD NUMBERED DAYS (I hope I counted correctly)

Games on even numbered days: 13-3 (.813 Win %)
Games on odd numbered days: 8-8 (.500 Win %)

This is clearly the root of our problem. We can only pray that our crucial games going forward fall on even numbered days.

You could have a real future at Elias Sports Bureau, RiceOwl!

(04-13-2016 12:57 PM)temchugh Wrote:  The night effect is slightly stronger than the (widely accepted) lefty-starter effect:

Rice against lefty starters: 8 - 5
Rice against rightly starters: 13-6

Heaven help us if we have to face a lefty starter in a night game.

Have you dug into the night time home versus road record to see if it's an issue with the lights at Reckling?

I thought owls were nocturnal.

(04-13-2016 02:41 PM)RiceOwl Wrote:  

(04-13-2016 01:10 PM)dirtybirds Wrote:  Have you considered who we face in our night games. We face the opposing team's ace every Friday night. One would think our numbers would be a little lower because of that alone.

Dirtybirds brings up a great point and I definitely agree with this conclusion.

Trying to find a cause of the teams struggles is futile, as there are so many factors throughout any given game. That being said...

over 70% of our losses have come on.......

(drumroll)........

ODD NUMBERED DAYS (I hope I counted correctly)

Games on even numbered days: 13-3 (.813 Win %)
Games on odd numbered days: 8-8 (.500 Win %)

This is clearly the root of our problem. We can only pray that our crucial games going forward fall on even numbered days.

I complete agree with your point. Whenever someone claims that this specific factor is our "kryptonite", we should be skeptical. Any fool can make an absurd claim and support with a few games or half a season of results. But which of these artifacts persists over years?

2015:
Day games: 24-12
Night games: 13-10

2014:
Day games: 25-10
Night games: 17-10

(Nope, no reason why I only went back two years. Move along, move along.)

For comparison:

2015:
Rice against lefty starters: 10 - 2
Rice against rightly starters: 27-20

2014:
Rice against lefty starters: 10 - 7
Rice against rightly starters: 31 - 13

So the lefty starter effect is clearly real, too. But lefties are good for us in odd numbered years and bad for us in even numbered years.

Baseball was meant to be played during daylight hours. We're messing with karma by playing under the lights...

(04-13-2016 03:55 PM)temchugh Wrote:  

(04-13-2016 02:41 PM)RiceOwl Wrote:  

(04-13-2016 01:10 PM)dirtybirds Wrote:  Have you considered who we face in our night games. We face the opposing team's ace every Friday night. One would think our numbers would be a little lower because of that alone.

Dirtybirds brings up a great point and I definitely agree with this conclusion.

Trying to find a cause of the teams struggles is futile, as there are so many factors throughout any given game. That being said...

over 70% of our losses have come on.......

(drumroll)........

ODD NUMBERED DAYS (I hope I counted correctly)

Games on even numbered days: 13-3 (.813 Win %)
Games on odd numbered days: 8-8 (.500 Win %)

This is clearly the root of our problem. We can only pray that our crucial games going forward fall on even numbered days.

I complete agree with your point. Whenever someone claims that this specific factor is our "kryptonite", we should be skeptical. Any fool can make an absurd claim and support with a few games or half a season of results. But which of these artifacts persists over years?

2015:
Day games: 24-12
Night games: 13-10

2014:
Day games: 25-10
Night games: 17-10

(Nope, no reason why I only went back two years. Move along, move along.)

Despite being the (alleged) fool that I am and moving on like you would hope, dirtybirds' point stands out to me and I would like to stay here.

Night games can generally be associated with Friday nights, midweeks, and other "prime-time" matchups. And though these are very general conclusions, it would seem that:

1) Friday night pitchers are a usually staff's best arm

2) We play a fairly strong midweek schedule (and for the weaker teams we generally get one of their better pitcher {see HBU game last year}) and also sometimes face an entire pitching staff if they need work (I believe TCU did this last year or the year before).

3) Prime-time match-ups include but are not exclusive to games like Minute Maid and post-season and usually involve better competition and higher stakes.

It is clear that we have a worse record at night (and odd numbered days) but I would argue that the problem is not hitting. We seem to have a solid habit of being ready to go for earlier games (credit to the coaches and staff?) and less ready for late games, which likely carries overs to all aspects, not just hitting.

RiceOwl, don't try to apply logic to baseball - - you just have to go with the empiric evidence.
Someone close to the program needs to contact Dr. K or the OG asap: make sure not to schedule a night game on an odd day against a lefty.....our chance of winning that contest is less than half that of an even numbered day game against a righty.