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UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
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Owl 69/70/75 Offline
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Post: #161
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
I'm usually an Earl Weaver big inning guy. But there's no point playing for the 3-run HR if we don't have anybody who can hit one. I don't think there's a solution with this team. It's just going to be a scuffle. And we'd better recruit some power.

Thye good news is that we're holding opponents to a .233/.297/.317 slash. Unfortunately, more than anything else that just means we are wasting some good pitching.
(This post was last modified: 04-12-2013 10:59 PM by Owl 69/70/75.)
04-12-2013 10:57 PM
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OptimisticOwl Offline
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Post: #162
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
(04-12-2013 09:57 PM)Ranger Wrote:  
(04-12-2013 09:53 PM)Benchwarmer Owl Wrote:  With a couple of exceptions, we have the same lineup of hitters this year as we had last year and the results are the same. Maybe we need to give some of the guys on the bench a chance.

The upcoming midweek against Tex Tech would be an ideal time to try it.


brian Smith?
04-12-2013 10:59 PM
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WRCisforgotten79 Offline
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Post: #163
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
RPI coming into tonight's game:
55. Rice
197. UCF
04-12-2013 11:07 PM
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Tiki Owl Offline
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Post: #164
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
We had their starter ready to be pulled if he issued the 3rd walk in a row to start the game. We give them an out with a bunt and he squirms out and nearly pitches a complete game....and his stuff wasn't that good.

I don't understand the Simms move at all. If you think it will be a 1 run game, which we must have thought since we bunted in the 1st, then why when trailing by several runs you think you have a chance to put up runs. With their ace going tomorrow and Simms being limited on Sunday (if he starts) we seem to be setting UCF up for a sweep.

And as others have said it was much worse in person.
04-12-2013 11:17 PM
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Owl 69/70/75 Offline
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Post: #165
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
(04-12-2013 10:56 PM)MemOwl Wrote:  
(04-12-2013 10:34 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  To channel Bill James, the reason we're a bad clutch hitting team is that we're a bad hitting team.
I think Bill James talked about secondary average as the difference between slugging pct and batting average.
coming into tonight it was .072. last year it was .114
Only two Owls have secondary averages of .100--Aquino and Ewing.
EDIT: Just checked and my definition of secondary average is incomplete. James' adds stolen bases and walks.

ISO-power is the difference between slugging percentage and batting average.

For some perspective, the slash line for our batters this year is about the same as what our pitchers yielded in 2008. I know the bats have changed, but that's still pretty remarkable.
04-13-2013 07:53 AM
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greyowl72 Offline
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Post: #166
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
I think this discussion is spot on. For weeks.. Ever since the Minute Maid debacle... I've been waiting for us to work out of this batting slump. I mean, this is not a Little League team. This is an elite Div I team recruited because they have talent. But, slowly, I've come to the realization that we just don't have the hitters, as Owl69,etc posted. The last few years we haven't had a lot of big hitters, and this year we have fewer. That and we've put so much pressure on ourselves in must hit situations that we've created a jinx between our ears. Sorta like we feel that Jobu has left the building.
At any rate, since we don't allow many runs, I would think that we revert to major small ball and scratch and kick for the runs. The steal. The double steal. The sqeeze. The long wait and take at the plate looking for walks. Bunt for the hit if we have speed at the plate, etc. And unless we have a Babe Ruth hiding and waiting on the bench in the dugout, we should revert soon. 'Cause the other "big inning" approach hasn't seemed to work unless we're playing vastly inferior talent.... This is just coming from an old alum that's tired of seeing 10-15 men left on base every game and losing in games that a timely hit or two would've have done the trick.
Tiki, I agree with you about the Sims choice. My take on it was that the OG felt that we really needed the win and if Sims came out smoking and shut them down we would have a chance at the comeback win. Then worry about taking another game in the series later.
04-13-2013 08:25 AM
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Tiki Owl Offline
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Post: #167
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
The choices were use Simms to stop UCF right where they were for several innings because you believe the bats will show up or decide to give Rutter, Dittman, Spurlin, Williamson, work and concentrate on taking two out of three. We tried to do both it seems and it may bite us in the butt.
04-13-2013 08:44 AM
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13thOwl Offline
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Post: #168
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
(04-13-2013 08:25 AM)greyowl72 Wrote:  I think this discussion is spot on. For weeks.. Ever since the Minute Maid debacle... I've been waiting for us to work out of this batting slump. I mean, this is not a Little League team. This is an elite Div I team recruited because they have talent. But, slowly, I've come to the realization that we just don't have the hitters, as Owl69,etc posted. The last few years we haven't had a lot of big hitters, and this year we have fewer. That and we've put so much pressure on ourselves in must hit situations that we've created a jinx between our ears. Sorta like we feel that Jobu has left the building.
At any rate, since we don't allow many runs, I would think that we revert to major small ball and scratch and kick for the runs. The steal. The double steal. The sqeeze. The long wait and take at the plate looking for walks. Bunt for the hit if we have speed at the plate, etc. And unless we have a Babe Ruth hiding and waiting on the bench in the dugout, we should revert soon. 'Cause the other "big inning" approach hasn't seemed to work unless we're playing vastly inferior talent.... This is just coming from an old alum that's tired of seeing 10-15 men left on base every game and losing in games that a timely hit or two would've have done the trick.
Tiki, I agree with you about the Sims choice. My take on it was that the OG felt that we really needed the win and if Sims came out smoking and shut them down we would have a chance at the comeback win. Then worry about taking another game in the series later.

Two unrelated thought: 1) the current game is always the most important game -the future be damned; and 2) Jobu has been on the DL all year as he broke an arm sometime last year and has not returned to Reckling this year.
04-13-2013 08:44 AM
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RiceFootball2K5 Offline
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Post: #169
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
I'm not sure what has happened to Ratterree and Stringer over their time here, but their regression along with the Hoelscher injury have just killed our offense this year. Those three at various points in the past have been excellent hitters.
04-13-2013 10:49 AM
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Ranger Offline
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Post: #170
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
(04-13-2013 10:49 AM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  I'm not sure what has happened to Ratterree and Stringer over their time here, but their regression along with the Hoelscher injury have just killed our offense this year. Those three at various points in the past have been excellent hitters.

Talk about regression. Last year, NC State's Carlos Rodon was incredible as a frosh pitcher. I do not track NC State regularly, but it seems whenever I do, he is doing very poorly. Boston College chased him after two innings today. He has at least one, and probably more, poor outings this year.
04-13-2013 01:28 PM
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smackdaddy Offline
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Post: #171
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
Gotta love Wayne on the radio right now saying there's "nothing good" to take away from last night's game. He sounds pissed. Good. It's part of why I love and have faith in him. He doesn't sugarcoat it or deliver platitudes.

Coach also added that he doesn't have a clue why any pitcher besides Kubitza wouldn't be ready to pitch today; something about how these men are young and their bodies heal faster than they ever will again in their lives. He said Ewing's been struggling the past 3 games, so the lefty Blake Fox is gonna get some at-bats.
04-13-2013 01:59 PM
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OptimisticOwl Offline
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Post: #172
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
No game balls.
04-13-2013 02:05 PM
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smackdaddy Offline
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Post: #173
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
(04-13-2013 02:05 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  No game balls.

That can be interpreted so many ways. Perhaps all accurate...
04-13-2013 02:08 PM
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OptimisticOwl Offline
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Post: #174
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
(04-13-2013 02:08 PM)smackdaddy Wrote:  
(04-13-2013 02:05 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  No game balls.

That can be interpreted so many ways. Perhaps all accurate...

I ended that with a period, not a question mark, on purpose.
04-13-2013 02:32 PM
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MemOwl Offline
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Post: #175
RE: UCF @ Rice (Friday Night, 4/12/13)
(04-13-2013 08:25 AM)greyowl72 Wrote:  This is an elite Div I team recruited because they have talent. But, slowly, I've come to the realization that we just don't have the hitters, as Owl69,etc posted.

It can be an elite team without an elite batting order.

One metric to consider is this--how many of the regular batters to we expect to play 2 or more years of pro ball, at any level?

In 2006 we had many--Savery, Lehman, Luna, J-Rod, Henley, Friday

In 2009 we had Rendon, Rathjen, Hague


I just don't know if this year's lineup has that much high end talent. Note, their production should be lower because of the bat change, but I wonder if they rate in the same level of the baseball talent pool as the 06 or 09 group did.
04-13-2013 03:42 PM
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