FWST: ‘Today was embarrassing.’ TCU baseball falls flat against Texas in series finale

[Pharm Frog]

Amazing what one bad game does to some people. Put your big boy pants on and move on.

I get it but to me this isn't about one bad game. For the last two weeks has our play been trending up or down? I'd say down marginally because that hitting/scoring run never felt that sustainable to me in the first place. I still am hard pressed to find 8 better/more deserving teams of a national-level seed based on the season's body of work. I'm not so sure that I'd have much difficulty finding 8 plus a few more without Wood and Wolfe and Shep. Some will say that we're in trouble because we're having to move our Sunday starter out of the rotation but isn't that exactly what Texas just did and I think Vandy may be toying with the idea as well. There were those on here thinking the Frogs weren't even among the top 16 to compete for hosting a regional after the Gonzaga series and others who believed no playoff invite at all after the midweek fiasco in San Marcos. That we're even in the position we're in is a positive surprise to me because coming into the season I was hoping to be in a secure position to host a regional going to Bricktown. That we're in the discussion for a national seed at this point is kind of a nice bonus.

What I don't like is the lethargy I feel recently on the third game of a series. I also don't feel good about the ability to adapt to slow tossing lefties that can throw strikes with their breaking pitches. But that's not a recent issue.

 

[NewFrogFan]

We're something like 26-6 in regional and super regional games at home under Schloss. You can assume most of those games are against high quality competition. So while we don't always win these kinds of games we've won a heck of a lot more than we've lost over the years.

How it "seems" to you is probably something you'll have to figure out yourself.

TCU also had MUCH better pitching staffs in those games. The time has come to make Haylen Green a starter. Using the best pitcher on the team 2-4 innings a weekend is just stupid. Manufacturing runs better be something that enters the playbook. The Kansas 2-1 loss was mind numbing. The Friday night Texas loss was almost as bad with 2 runners on, no outs, and NO attempt to move them over in the LAST inning.

 

[PurpleBlood87]

We've also lost all power at the plate. Until the 9th innning throwaway pinch hit homerun by Goodloe, don't think we hit a homerun against either WVU or UT. Frustrated me that multiple times yesterday the announcers said "UT hits a long, high fly ball... it keeps carrying, it's going to the warning track, it's gone!" and then on the side it's "TCU hits a long high fly ball, looks like it got caught up, UT catches on edge of warning track"

Williams home run yesterday was wind blown. He didn't even get a full swing on it. The just carried it. Zubia's were shots.

 

[PurpleBlood87]

We were hitting the end of the bat - you could hear it

they were hitting the barrel - hitting high fly outs most days that got the wind for sure - but they were off the barrel vs our fists or end cap outs

chalk that up to our team not being able to adjust to a breaking ball first pitcher or an 88 mph fastball vs Ray throwing 93 mph fastballs or hanging the breaking ball

Lupton played tiny on Sunday.

 

[Pharm Frog]

TCU also had MUCH better pitching staffs in those games. The time has come to make Haylen Green a starter. Using the best pitcher on the team 2-4 innings a weekend is just stupid. Manufacturing runs better be something that enters the playbook. The Kansas 2-1 loss was mind numbing. The Friday night Texas loss was almost as bad with 2 runners on, no outs, and NO attempt to move them over in the LAST inning.

Pretty hard to ask a team with 4 sac bunts on the year to bunt in that situation. And two of those sac bunts weren’t even the right thing to do. I can’t recall who was up but I do remember thinking to myself that there was just under a -15% chance we’d attempt to bunt.

 

[Pharm Frog]

Lupton played big on Sunday.

Small

 

[GoFrog Yourself]

Small

Medium

 

[PurpleBlood87]

Small

My bad.

 

[PurpleBlood87]

I'm ok with Shepherd playing first. He hits well but I will say that Wood is a much better first baseman.
But if Wood is out for a while Shepherd will get more work there in practice and get better.
Wood has saved a lot of throws with his stretches and digs.

 

[flyfishingfrog]

In what universe would intentionally losing 2 games in the conference tournament be an actual discussion?

Weren’t you on this board the year we had a seed wrapped up and went 2&Q and had several people claiming we did it on purpose because Schloss didn’t yell at the team afterwards?

 

[CountryFrog]

TCU also had MUCH better pitching staffs in those games. The time has come to make Haylen Green a starter. Using the best pitcher on the team 2-4 innings a weekend is just stupid. Manufacturing runs better be something that enters the playbook. The Kansas 2-1 loss was mind numbing. The Friday night Texas loss was almost as bad with 2 runners on, no outs, and NO attempt to move them over in the LAST inning.

Yea I'm not really interested in arguing all of the specifics of this year's team. I'm just pushing back against the idea that things seem to go against us more than they go in our favor because that's ludicrous.

 

[jake102]

The time has come to make Haylen Green a starter. Using the best pitcher on the team 2-4 innings a weekend is just stupid..

I disagree about making Green a starter, but totally agree that using him 2-4 innings a weekend is dumb. I could live with 4 innings a weekend but it's insanity he didn't pitch Friday.

But, apparently there's an "issue" with him, although nobody will spill it.

 

[Westsider]

Weren’t you on this board the year we had a seed wrapped up and went 2&Q and had several people claiming we did it on purpose because Schloss didn’t yell at the team afterwards?

I think Tech did it as well a couple of years ago.

 

[flyfishingfrog]

Lupton played tiny on Sunday.

For Texas

Infield played HUGE for TCU at the plate

 

[flyfishingfrog]

TCU also had MUCH better pitching staffs in those games. The time has come to make Haylen Green a starter. Using the best pitcher on the team 2-4 innings a weekend is just stupid. Manufacturing runs better be something that enters the playbook. The Kansas 2-1 loss was mind numbing. The Friday night Texas loss was almost as bad with 2 runners on, no outs, and NO attempt to move them over in the LAST inning.

I don’t think Green would be as effective having to face the order 2-3 times every start

 

[Punter1]

I disagree about making Green a starter, but totally agree that using him 2-4 innings a weekend is dumb. I could live with 4 innings a weekend but it's insanity he didn't pitch Friday.

But, apparently there's an "issue" with him, although nobody will spill it.

I agree...when he pitched Saturday I was even more pissed he didn't pitch Friday. Seems like his suspension came off on Saturday morning. Only excuse why he wasn't used Friday and none at all against WVU....when we had the lead late all 3 games.

To Pharn's point and I totally agree...if Green isn't gonna pitch until we have the lead, the lineup needs to be stacked with the best offensive players.

 

[Pharm Frog]

I agree...when he pitched Saturday I was even more pissed he didn't pitch Friday. Seems like his suspension came off on Saturday morning. Only excuse why he wasn't used Friday and none at all against WVU....when we had the lead late all 3 games.

To Pharn's point and I totally agree...if Green isn't gonna pitch until we have the lead, the lineup needs to be stacked with the best offensive players.

Ummm....Pharm believes that with very limited exceptions the lineup should be stacked with the very best offensive players. I’ll make an exception or two for C and SS as necessary. My point is more about how we approach situations when we are tied or behind by a run or two with runners on base. I’ll take a poor hitter who is a reliable fly ball out and never Ks in some of those situations. I’ll take a reliable bunter over someone with a .275 average with gap power in some of those situations.

 

[Punter1]

Ummm....Pharm believes that with very limited exceptions the lineup should be stacked with the very best offensive players. I’ll make an exception or two for C and SS as necessary. My point is more about how we approach situations when we are tied or behind by a run or two with runners on base. I’ll take a poor hitter who is a reliable fly ball out and never Ks in some of those situations. I’ll take a reliable bunter over someone with a .275 average with gap power in some of those situations.

I agree...I should have said I also agree with situationally adjusting our lineup late in games. That's dam near a given in my book...or should be...

 

[Punter1]

I don’t think Green would be as effective having to face the order 2-3 times every start

Unless it's an elimination game one way or the other (more so us being eliminated) where he hasn't been used much I wouldn't start him either...but I bet against just about anyone he could give us 5 innings of 2 runs of less.

 

[flyfishingfrog]

Unless it's an elimination game one way or the other (more so us being eliminated) where he hasn't been used much I wouldn't start him either...but I bet against just about anyone he could give us 5 innings of 2 runs of less.

Maybe

I think one time there was analysis done on his effectiveness either the second time through the lineup (which most pitchers lose effectiveness the second time through obviously) or maybe it was his second appearance in a weekend series/against the same team over a season - and like a lot of sidearms guys - he dropped a lot the second time around

so just think maybe that was why we have gone to a Saturday focus for him - it’s either 25 pitches Friday and see if you need him Sunday or 2-3 innings Saturday