4 starters out against Duke
- Thread starter TheRealVille
- Start date
McCoy differs from my expectations with a 3 run shot. Have to disagree with sac bunting with the second at bat of the game and of course it didn't work. That decision makes no sense to me.
Cards up 3 to 0.
Cards up 3 to 0.
Mac often lets the hitters make their own bunt call. Can’t say either way if that was a coaches decision or Anderson’s. It didn’t work. It happens.
I think Hawks has proven he's best suited for the bullpen. He gets to the 5th and he rarely survives.
And McDonnell continues not to appear ready and still hasn't pulled Hawks after giving up two, 2 run homers without recording an out in the 5th.
Now he gives up a third long ball that was inches from a HR. All three on fastballs down the middle. And still Hawks hasn't been removed.
To be continued...
And McDonnell continues not to appear ready and still hasn't pulled Hawks after giving up two, 2 run homers without recording an out in the 5th.
Now he gives up a third long ball that was inches from a HR. All three on fastballs down the middle. And still Hawks hasn't been removed.
To be continued...
Another 2 run homer and finally McDonnell removes Hawks.
7 to 6.
I know McDonnell is the sole reason Louisville baseball is a powerhouse, but his game management has not been very good the last few years.
No way he should have left Hawks in after the first 2 run homer. It was clear Duke had timed his fastball.
Now a 7 run lead is down to 1 when it could have been easily avoided. If the Cards end up losing this game, there should be a lot of scrutiny of McDonnell.
Hawks gave up 3, two run homers and a 4th HR missed by inches. You will not see that very often in baseball, especially in the 5th inning.
I can only surmise that McDonnell was trying to get Hawks through 5 innings to qualify for a win. Instead it may end up costing the Cards the game.
I can only surmise that McDonnell was trying to get Hawks through 5 innings to qualify for a win. Instead it may end up costing the Cards the game.
Running ourselves out of innings again.
Got to love Benson hitting 3rd. Hope he stays there when Payton comes back. McCoy showing he's the 1st baseman we need. I really think he will hit 15 + home runs next season.
Love Anderson. He's also an idea #2 hitter. And Kuehner is proving he should be the Saturday starter behind Ligget.
Got to love Benson hitting 3rd. Hope he stays there when Payton comes back. McCoy showing he's the 1st baseman we need. I really think he will hit 15 + home runs next season.
Love Anderson. He's also an idea #2 hitter. And Kuehner is proving he should be the Saturday starter behind Ligget.
They have 15-18 pitchers and he doesn’t trust many of them. I can’t say I blame him. They give up 10 runs using 2 pitchers…..never seen that before.
I think he has got to start getting arms out of the portal.
I think he has got to start getting arms out of the portal.
Effed up way to lose. I’m angry, but also really confused. This isn’t Louisville baseball.
Good point. 10 runs off of just 2 pitchers is unheard of.
Some have said it's actually Williams who makes the pitching decisions. Mac adheres to his pitching coach? That would be interesting and telling if true.
Is Dan McDonnell a coach or a manager? There is a difference.
And regarding the portal, it's clear to me that much of the backups and bullpen need to be replaced with it.
Some have said it's actually Williams who makes the pitching decisions. Mac adheres to his pitching coach? That would be interesting and telling if true.
Is Dan McDonnell a coach or a manager? There is a difference.
And regarding the portal, it's clear to me that much of the backups and bullpen need to be replaced with it.
As a hitter it is really hard to hit a new pitcher. He has no one he trust to get 3 outs. They have had a real issue with finding pitchers that can consistently locate pitches. They are constantly pitching from behind which is death.
They really only have 6-7 guys they will use out of the pen and 2 are true freshman. Pitching depth has been a problem since Covid. They develop kids but the pitchers aren’t developing. Like other sports it is easier to find veterans than develop guys. Older guys understand how to pitch.
They really only have 6-7 guys they will use out of the pen and 2 are true freshman. Pitching depth has been a problem since Covid. They develop kids but the pitchers aren’t developing. Like other sports it is easier to find veterans than develop guys. Older guys understand how to pitch.
Last edited:
Kinda hard to get momentum with 4 starters out.
This loss is squarely on the lack of a reliable bullpen. Maybe Hawks would have been pulled earlier if there was a strong middle reliever? And if that is Kuehner, then having a strong one inning closer would have done the job?
I know it's hard,but what better way to turn it around than when you're up against it? They've all had high pressure at bats and pitches. It's put up or shut up time.
Sometimes it isn’t fixable. For example Hawks can’t just keep throwing it hard and not try to locate when things go sideways. He has given up 11 runs in 2 innings in the last 2 games because he falls apart. You better have control of your off speed stuff or by the 2-3 time around they are going to lite you up.
This staff gives up a bunch of dingers. Tell me they aren’t fooling anyone and their stuff is average at best. Could be a sequencing issue as well as in their sequencing is predictable.
I hate the pitches being called from the dugout. Hitters just have to guess along with someone who isn't throwing a baseball. A pitcher calling off signs from the catcher can mess with a hitters mind. Not some pitching coach in the dugout.
I don't know exactly when this became a thing in college baseball, but in my opinion it's not condusive for successful results. Sequence of pitches is very important and the person who's actually throwing the baseball should be the dicider of what to throw.
I don't know exactly when this became a thing in college baseball, but in my opinion it's not condusive for successful results. Sequence of pitches is very important and the person who's actually throwing the baseball should be the dicider of what to throw.
With the wrist bands they are throwing what is being sent in from Coach Williams. That is a skill as well being in sync with the pitcher. I think the biggest issue is pitch control. Ligget is the only guy that controls all his pitches consistently. That kind of pitcher is a nightmare to hit against. It gets into the head of a hitter. Once they start playing the guessing game with that kind of pitcher becomes really tough. Hawks and Farone both can’t get their off speed stuff right. It becomes real simple mentally for the hitter sit fastball no mind games. They will eventually get them. Riley has the most potential to improve because of his off speed stuff.
I don't believe missing 4 starters had as much impact as not having a reliable bullpen. We had a 7-0 lead through 5 innings. Coach Mac decided to go with his best reliever, Kuehner, which shows you how important Dan thought the game was. It didn't work out. That's the most innings, Kuehner has pitched since he was a starter last year.
Even with 26 wins; this season has been tough to watch. Not fun at all. It's been a slog for lack of a better word, even when everyone was healthy. Like someone posted above, It just doesn't seem to UL baseball. I also think we need to hit the portal for some arms.
With 2 outs, Phillips walks the 8 & 9 hitters. He started out throwing balls in the first inning and his wild pitch allows the one run.
Williams finally comes out after walking the bases loaded, and we assisted Duke when swinging at pitches out of the zone. Luckey to have gotten out of a self induced jam.
Losing last night when scoring 9 runs and giving up 4 in the ninth; poor management of the game.
I said earlier, and I will say it again; we have kids throwing in the 90s but struggle with finding the zone. Give me someone in the 70 & 80s with control and make the opponent beat us. These walks have devastating.
Williams finally comes out after walking the bases loaded, and we assisted Duke when swinging at pitches out of the zone. Luckey to have gotten out of a self induced jam.
Losing last night when scoring 9 runs and giving up 4 in the ninth; poor management of the game.
I said earlier, and I will say it again; we have kids throwing in the 90s but struggle with finding the zone. Give me someone in the 70 & 80s with control and make the opponent beat us. These walks have devastating.
It's unreal how unlucky this team is. We're responsible for a lot of our problems, but we have more than our share of bad luck.
To lose back to back games being walked off is very rare. Duke has to feel gifted being able to celebrate walk off wins.
The sports gods hate the University of Louisville and I hate the sports gods back. 😡
To lose back to back games being walked off is very rare. Duke has to feel gifted being able to celebrate walk off wins.
The sports gods hate the University of Louisville and I hate the sports gods back. 😡
Actually RealVille; I totally expected the outcome last nigh, and I see it as having nothing to do with bad luck on our end, or good luck on Duke’s end.
It was no coincidence that Smith made two errors in both Friday and Saturday that directly led to a total of 7 runs. Was it entirely on Smith? No, but witnessing our pitchers losing control after what could have been relatively easy outs, turns in to be a predictable pattern for this team.
Duke simply took advantage of the combination of errors, HBP, Wild Pitches plus giving up walks. I turned the TV off after witnessing 9 walks from UL pitchers!!! In fact, Duke at one time was 1 of 9 in hits with runs in scoring position. In two consecutive innings Duke left bases loaded ……. and it appeared to me that in both instances Duke gifted Riley by swinging at pitches that were out of the zone.
In truth, we were lucky we were still in the game after the extraordinary exhibition of Phillips throwing the baseball everywhere but in the strike zone.
We miss Christian and Jack, but sadly injuries are part of all sports, and you play through it. Finally they pitch-hitted for Smith; regrettably he is the heir apparent for Knap? Oh my!!!
It was no coincidence that Smith made two errors in both Friday and Saturday that directly led to a total of 7 runs. Was it entirely on Smith? No, but witnessing our pitchers losing control after what could have been relatively easy outs, turns in to be a predictable pattern for this team.
Duke simply took advantage of the combination of errors, HBP, Wild Pitches plus giving up walks. I turned the TV off after witnessing 9 walks from UL pitchers!!! In fact, Duke at one time was 1 of 9 in hits with runs in scoring position. In two consecutive innings Duke left bases loaded ……. and it appeared to me that in both instances Duke gifted Riley by swinging at pitches that were out of the zone.
In truth, we were lucky we were still in the game after the extraordinary exhibition of Phillips throwing the baseball everywhere but in the strike zone.
We miss Christian and Jack, but sadly injuries are part of all sports, and you play through it. Finally they pitch-hitted for Smith; regrettably he is the heir apparent for Knap? Oh my!!!
I disagree about Smith. I originally thought we’d see more of him but Kilen has displaced him and more than likely be our next SS. Unfortunately, and this is just speculation, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Smith transfer. I wouldn’t be surprised is at least 2-3 pitchers left as well.
I am guilty of critizing Dan/Roger of their pitching decisions but time and time again I think the results bear out why they make those decisions. Take Friday night, in typical fashion Hawks starts off good but you know about the 2nd or 3rd time through the lineup, you better have somebody ready in relief. In this particular case, I think Dan really wanted this win so instead of Weigman, Webster, Grundy following Hawks, he decided to go with his best bullpen guy, Kuehner. Kuehner was a starter last year and the coaches didn't think it would be an issue of stretching him out. FAIL. Dan and Roger also knew that no matter if Phillips or Farone starts the 2nd game, it would take a bullpen by committee to get through the game. Another reason why Dan and Roger only used 2 pitchers on Friday, they knew they were going to need a lot of arms. We used 7 pitchers last night and still ended up being walked off.
I also disagree that moving Liggett to Friday would make much of an impact. Friday night is typically when you throw your ace. For teams, that don't have a true ace, they typically throw their best pitcher on Saturday to get an even up series win. Sunday is typically your 3rd best pitcher. That is why Liggett has blossomed. His overall numbers (except wins) are not much different than Hawks. So you pitch Liggett on Friday and because he's not a dominant pitcher, he beats most of the teams but loses the close games to teams with a true ace. He doesn't go the whole game or at least 8 innings like Funkhouser or some of the guys we have had in the past so hes left with the same situation, needing someone to close the game. Then your left with Hawks trying to get a series win or prevent a series loss on Sunday, knowing that he's only going to last 4-5 innings.
We just don't have 3 top notch quality starters or a solid dependable closer. Unfortunately all those things are necessary for a deep postseason...
I also disagree that moving Liggett to Friday would make much of an impact. Friday night is typically when you throw your ace. For teams, that don't have a true ace, they typically throw their best pitcher on Saturday to get an even up series win. Sunday is typically your 3rd best pitcher. That is why Liggett has blossomed. His overall numbers (except wins) are not much different than Hawks. So you pitch Liggett on Friday and because he's not a dominant pitcher, he beats most of the teams but loses the close games to teams with a true ace. He doesn't go the whole game or at least 8 innings like Funkhouser or some of the guys we have had in the past so hes left with the same situation, needing someone to close the game. Then your left with Hawks trying to get a series win or prevent a series loss on Sunday, knowing that he's only going to last 4-5 innings.
We just don't have 3 top notch quality starters or a solid dependable closer. Unfortunately all those things are necessary for a deep postseason...
This is the luck I'm talking about. We hit the ball hard but right at someone. This series just looks like a sweep is meant to be. But I thought that as well against NC State and WF and we managed to win a game.
With a 2 and 0 count. But, we can't really fault King as he's been one of the better clutch hitters this season. It looked like a good pitch to hit but he was late for some reason.
Now we're in our worse position in a baseball game. Holding a 1 run lead in the 7th inning, trying to keep the starter in because the bullpen hasn't been very successful this season.
Wonder what happens?
Now we're in our worse position in a baseball game. Holding a 1 run lead in the 7th inning, trying to keep the starter in because the bullpen hasn't been very successful this season.
Wonder what happens?
