I don't know really where to start with this one. Some games you get more into than others. I got really, really into this one tonight, to the point where my hands were shaking after that last out. I think that if you didn't have a dog in the fight, you really enjoyed this one.... I think that if you were a fan of either team and halfway into baseball, you were on the edge of your seat for the last 90 minutes or so... I still feel like I need to come down and we're an hour out now.
So, let's just start from the beginning.
-It was a weird game for Kevin Smith. He went 1-0 on, it seemed like, 75% of the hitters he saw, and it was higher than that early on. I'll give him credit, it was a slow start for him (although it didn't really show up on the stat sheet that way) and it really felt like the other shoe was set to drop any second. He really hung in there and did a nice job. He really piled up the K's there toward the end.
-It really amazes me that David Savage is allowed to call balls and strikes... We couldn't buy a called strike all night long, including one that was right down the middle on the last at-bat of the game. These two teams really left it on the field. It deserved better than David Savage.
-Raise your hand if you had Austin Biggar down for our first stolen base of the year.
-I really like Biggar behind the plate and Curry at DH. If you get it to the screen on Austin, you've done something.
-Early on, although we didn't have a lot to show for it, I really liked what we were doing with Evan Challenger. We were really squaring him up... we had some outs tonight that were absolutely smoked. I think we saw him really well.
-It felt like the momentum was going to get away from us after we had a guy at 3rd with 1 out in the top of the second, 1 out, and had consecutive strikeouts. Then Ga Southern puts up a 2 spot in the bottom half. Getting that out at home plate to end that inning was HUGE. I honestly believe that we we don't overcome it if that run scores. Cam Shepherd and Austin Biggar handled it beautifully and it really seemed to reignite the dugout.
-Ga Southern's bullpen is a lot better than College of Charleston's...
-It's hard to win when your top 2 hitters go 0-10 with 4 strikeouts. Will Campbell and Michael Curry had great days though... Curry had a couple of those smashed outs that I talked about above. Campbell's home run was BLASTED too... Nothing cheap or questionable about that one.
-Jacob Condra-Bogan was really good for them tonight. He kept us off-balance... and also contributed to a good deal of chippiness. After he got the out to end his first inning of work, I noticed he stared into our dugout for awhile as he was jogging off the field. The next inning, when he got Keegan McGovern to K for the last out, he screamed "f**k yeah!" or "sit the f**k down" (I was clear on the F word, the rest was muddled) at Keegan... A couple of our guys popped out of the dugout, Stricklin was restraining one guy.... I noticed Condra-Bogan didn't eyeball anyone when we plated that huge insurance run the next inning.
-It's safe to say these two teams aren't in love with each other... Good. I'm all for sportsmanship and everything, but I don't like Ga Southern. I don't like coming down here, I don't like playing them, and I don't like their school or team. I'm sure that's mutual with a lot of their fans (although I'm sure they love getting to play a major college team on the weekend)... I can't speak for our players or theirs, but that was a really chippy game tonight, especially after Condra-Bogan's stuff. It'll be an interesting next two games.
-Blake Cairnes was really, really good. We probably should have stayed with him longer. To that end, I really thought that we got too cute with playing matchups tonight. Blake was cruising. Stay there until you get in trouble. The 8th was a weird spot to toss Avidano into. I know they had some lefties coming, but still. I really wonder what's going on with Blakely Brown. Stricklin said on the radio yesterday that he has the best stuff on the staff and that they "want" him to win that closer's job. I just figured, matchups be damned, that we'd turn it over to #3 in the 8th if we weren't going to stick with Cairnes. We almost squandered a really, really good effort tonight.
-That said, our pitchers answered the bell tonight... 14 strikeouts, 3 runs (2 earned) and 8 hits against a good, experienced lineup. That was very good work.
-Back to Savage, we had one hitter tonight with a 1-2 count, pitcher sure looked like got all of the plate, the batter winced and took a step toward the dugout, and Savage called a ball. I generally think our pitchers got the worst of it tonight, but man alive, it was bad. And he completely blew that tag up call at 3rd base in the 8th inning too... I never saw a replay, but it didn't look close in real time... Does anyone grade these umpires?
-I know he went 0-5 and had an error tonight, but I'm really impressed with Cam Shepherd... I love that guy's mentality and poise... I hope that we don't (and I doubt we will) over-react to his slow start and drop him down. He absolutely needs to be hitting at the top of the order.
-Will Procter doesn't look like a power hitter getting of the bus (neither does Will Campbell, for that matter), but those guys both have some very quick hands and a good, calm approach at the plate. The ball really jumps off both of their bats, much more than you'd think when they walk into the box.
-Chili's has really gone downhill.... I used to love that place... now, I don't know, it just doesn't really do it for me. There is one right by the hotel. I remember on Opening Night in 2013 I tried to get a Manhattan over there... watching the bartender reach for a book to figure out how to mix the libation, I audibled and asked for a beer instead. We won a tight game that night and I just wasn't bothered by it. Likewise, tonight, flat draft beer, slow turn around on my entree... and who cares? It's funny how getting the win makes stuff like that so much less bothersome. I can remember eating at an Applebees in Oxford after the Friday night game in 2011... Probably the worst service I've ever had at a restaurant in my life... was there a complaint? Was there a shortened tip? Nope. Winning is a good deodorant.
-I don't know what happens the rest of this weekend or the rest of this year, obviously... but tonight was a really good win... a gutsy win. I think that this team took a big step forward tonight, and regardless of where we go from here, I believe that I'll remember this one for quite awhile.
So, let's just start from the beginning.
-It was a weird game for Kevin Smith. He went 1-0 on, it seemed like, 75% of the hitters he saw, and it was higher than that early on. I'll give him credit, it was a slow start for him (although it didn't really show up on the stat sheet that way) and it really felt like the other shoe was set to drop any second. He really hung in there and did a nice job. He really piled up the K's there toward the end.
-It really amazes me that David Savage is allowed to call balls and strikes... We couldn't buy a called strike all night long, including one that was right down the middle on the last at-bat of the game. These two teams really left it on the field. It deserved better than David Savage.
-Raise your hand if you had Austin Biggar down for our first stolen base of the year.
-I really like Biggar behind the plate and Curry at DH. If you get it to the screen on Austin, you've done something.
-Early on, although we didn't have a lot to show for it, I really liked what we were doing with Evan Challenger. We were really squaring him up... we had some outs tonight that were absolutely smoked. I think we saw him really well.
-It felt like the momentum was going to get away from us after we had a guy at 3rd with 1 out in the top of the second, 1 out, and had consecutive strikeouts. Then Ga Southern puts up a 2 spot in the bottom half. Getting that out at home plate to end that inning was HUGE. I honestly believe that we we don't overcome it if that run scores. Cam Shepherd and Austin Biggar handled it beautifully and it really seemed to reignite the dugout.
-Ga Southern's bullpen is a lot better than College of Charleston's...
-It's hard to win when your top 2 hitters go 0-10 with 4 strikeouts. Will Campbell and Michael Curry had great days though... Curry had a couple of those smashed outs that I talked about above. Campbell's home run was BLASTED too... Nothing cheap or questionable about that one.
-Jacob Condra-Bogan was really good for them tonight. He kept us off-balance... and also contributed to a good deal of chippiness. After he got the out to end his first inning of work, I noticed he stared into our dugout for awhile as he was jogging off the field. The next inning, when he got Keegan McGovern to K for the last out, he screamed "f**k yeah!" or "sit the f**k down" (I was clear on the F word, the rest was muddled) at Keegan... A couple of our guys popped out of the dugout, Stricklin was restraining one guy.... I noticed Condra-Bogan didn't eyeball anyone when we plated that huge insurance run the next inning.
-It's safe to say these two teams aren't in love with each other... Good. I'm all for sportsmanship and everything, but I don't like Ga Southern. I don't like coming down here, I don't like playing them, and I don't like their school or team. I'm sure that's mutual with a lot of their fans (although I'm sure they love getting to play a major college team on the weekend)... I can't speak for our players or theirs, but that was a really chippy game tonight, especially after Condra-Bogan's stuff. It'll be an interesting next two games.
-Blake Cairnes was really, really good. We probably should have stayed with him longer. To that end, I really thought that we got too cute with playing matchups tonight. Blake was cruising. Stay there until you get in trouble. The 8th was a weird spot to toss Avidano into. I know they had some lefties coming, but still. I really wonder what's going on with Blakely Brown. Stricklin said on the radio yesterday that he has the best stuff on the staff and that they "want" him to win that closer's job. I just figured, matchups be damned, that we'd turn it over to #3 in the 8th if we weren't going to stick with Cairnes. We almost squandered a really, really good effort tonight.
-That said, our pitchers answered the bell tonight... 14 strikeouts, 3 runs (2 earned) and 8 hits against a good, experienced lineup. That was very good work.
-Back to Savage, we had one hitter tonight with a 1-2 count, pitcher sure looked like got all of the plate, the batter winced and took a step toward the dugout, and Savage called a ball. I generally think our pitchers got the worst of it tonight, but man alive, it was bad. And he completely blew that tag up call at 3rd base in the 8th inning too... I never saw a replay, but it didn't look close in real time... Does anyone grade these umpires?
-I know he went 0-5 and had an error tonight, but I'm really impressed with Cam Shepherd... I love that guy's mentality and poise... I hope that we don't (and I doubt we will) over-react to his slow start and drop him down. He absolutely needs to be hitting at the top of the order.
-Will Procter doesn't look like a power hitter getting of the bus (neither does Will Campbell, for that matter), but those guys both have some very quick hands and a good, calm approach at the plate. The ball really jumps off both of their bats, much more than you'd think when they walk into the box.
-Chili's has really gone downhill.... I used to love that place... now, I don't know, it just doesn't really do it for me. There is one right by the hotel. I remember on Opening Night in 2013 I tried to get a Manhattan over there... watching the bartender reach for a book to figure out how to mix the libation, I audibled and asked for a beer instead. We won a tight game that night and I just wasn't bothered by it. Likewise, tonight, flat draft beer, slow turn around on my entree... and who cares? It's funny how getting the win makes stuff like that so much less bothersome. I can remember eating at an Applebees in Oxford after the Friday night game in 2011... Probably the worst service I've ever had at a restaurant in my life... was there a complaint? Was there a shortened tip? Nope. Winning is a good deodorant.
-I don't know what happens the rest of this weekend or the rest of this year, obviously... but tonight was a really good win... a gutsy win. I think that this team took a big step forward tonight, and regardless of where we go from here, I believe that I'll remember this one for quite awhile.
