Walks.
Tennessee had 10 hits on Friday night and scored 2 runs.
Yesterday the Vols had 12 hits, but scored 16 runs.
Of course, we didn’t walk a batter on Friday night. We walked 8 yesterday and hit another batter. 9 free passes.
That’s the difference, or most all of it. Tennessee was really good with men on yesterday… they left 4 on base the whole game. DJ made a good point on the radio last night. We turned over their lineup one entire time just on free passes.
Not sure what to make of Kolten Smith. That whole sequence where we didn’t get an out in, I think the 7th inning on that weird IF play… I mean, it’s easy to say “you have to overcome that” but that inning and his stat line look different if we do that make that play. Still, this is twice now where Smith has come in on the road and really struggled. He was very good last Saturday at home against Alabama… maybe that’s just a coincidence and it probably is, but still, the only bad outings he’s had have come in Lexington and Knoxville.
If we can limit the free passes today (big “if”) then we’ll be fine. Tennessee isn’t what they were. And they showed that again yesterday when you look past the score. They aren’t very good defensively… and they’re just a momentum team. When things are not going well for them, they have trouble limiting the damage. When they get guys on base, they can produce. They’re very beatable and we can and should beat them today
Tennessee had 10 hits on Friday night and scored 2 runs.
Yesterday the Vols had 12 hits, but scored 16 runs.
Of course, we didn’t walk a batter on Friday night. We walked 8 yesterday and hit another batter. 9 free passes.
That’s the difference, or most all of it. Tennessee was really good with men on yesterday… they left 4 on base the whole game. DJ made a good point on the radio last night. We turned over their lineup one entire time just on free passes.
Not sure what to make of Kolten Smith. That whole sequence where we didn’t get an out in, I think the 7th inning on that weird IF play… I mean, it’s easy to say “you have to overcome that” but that inning and his stat line look different if we do that make that play. Still, this is twice now where Smith has come in on the road and really struggled. He was very good last Saturday at home against Alabama… maybe that’s just a coincidence and it probably is, but still, the only bad outings he’s had have come in Lexington and Knoxville.
If we can limit the free passes today (big “if”) then we’ll be fine. Tennessee isn’t what they were. And they showed that again yesterday when you look past the score. They aren’t very good defensively… and they’re just a momentum team. When things are not going well for them, they have trouble limiting the damage. When they get guys on base, they can produce. They’re very beatable and we can and should beat them today
