All Things Gopher Baseball

[GoodasGold]

“Let’s play two”
~ Ernie Banks ~

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Klassen goes 2 innings and looked good. Good command of all his pitches. That strike three in the 2nd was nasty.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

That's two!

 

[Goldy Gopher]

That's two!

It wasn't pretty but they found a way to win as opposed to finding ways to lose like they have done so much the past 2 seasons
Now we see this weekend if we can get some real progress against a solid West Virginia team on the road this weekend

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

It wasn't pretty but they found a way to win as opposed to finding ways to lose like they have done so much the past 2 seasons
Now we see this weekend if we can get some real progress against a solid West Virginia team on the road this weekend

The pitching has been solid but the hitting is very inconsistent. If they keep progressing with the pitching like they have been they should be competitive more often than not.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Weather forecast for Morgantown.....
Friday: High of 46 with 75% chance of rain in afternoon
Saturday: High of 38
Sunday: High of 46

Going to be a challenge to get 3 games in, I think.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

OK. Diving a little bit in the stats this morning. I wanted to see how the pitching has changed this year for the "free bases" (i.e., BB + HBP). I looked at the overall stats season by season going back to 2016 and compared the BB+HBP to our opponents.

Year

Record

IP

BB

HBP

(BB+HBP)/IP

Opp IP

Opp BB

Opp HBP

Opp (BB+HBP)/IP

Diff

2016​

34-20

513.333​

216​

47​

0.512338​

511​

192​

28​

0.430528376​

-0.082​

2017​

26-21

515​

210​

73​

0.54951456​

503​

223​

26​

0.495029821​

-0.054​

2018​

41-13

534.333​

192​

55​

0.46225855​

513.667​

275​

49​

0.630758838​

0.169​

2019​

29-27

500.667​

285​

57​

0.68308876​

500.333​

224​

45​

0.53764193​

-0.145​

2020​

8-10

161​

125​

31​

0.9689441​

156​

78​

19​

0.621794872​

-0.347​

2021​

6-31

312.667​

237​

61​

0.95309067​

325​

136​

23​

0.489230769​

-0.464​

2022​

16-36

455.333​

270​

73​

0.75329484​

459.333​

217​

54​

0.589985914​

-0.163​

2023​

2-11

117.667​

58​

18​

0.64589052​

118​

52​

8​

0.508474576​

-0.137​

As you can see, in the area of free bases our pitching staff is back to 2019 level but compared to the difference against our opponents, it's somewhere around 2019 and 2022 level.

If you look at our winning percentage compared to the "Difference" column you can see the pattern is strikingly similar. If we give up more BB+HBP our winning percentage goes down accordingly. DUH. But this season is the outlier. Our differential has improved...by all accounts we should have a much better record than 2-11. It should probably be somewhere in the 2019 (29-27) or 2022 (16-36) range. So right now in a typical year we should have somewhere between 4-7 wins. Therefore I have to believe if the trends hold, the wins will come yet this season in due time. Definitely not where we would like them to be but an increase nonetheless.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Weather forecast for Morgantown.....
Friday: High of 46 with 75% chance of rain in afternoon
Saturday: High of 38
Sunday: High of 46

Going to be a challenge to get 3 games in, I think.

"Due to expected inclement weather in the Morgantown area late Friday afternoon, the Minnesota baseball game against West Virginia has been moved up to a 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT first pitch"

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Starters this weekend:
Friday: LHP Tucker Novotny (0-1, 5.68 ERA) vs LHP Ben Hampton (0-0, 2.21 ERA)
Saturday: RHP George Klassen (0-2, 8.31 ERA) vs RHP Blaine Traxel (2-1, 2.35 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Richie Holetz (0-1, 3.52 ERA) vs RHP Grant Siegel (1-1, 8.25 ERA)

I imagine George's fastball on Saturday is going to make the sting feel awful for some poor hitters.

 

[Goldy Gopher]

Starters this weekend:
Friday: LHP Tucker Novotny (0-1, 5.68 ERA) vs LHP Ben Hampton (0-0, 2.21 ERA)
Saturday: RHP George Klassen (0-2, 8.31 ERA) vs RHP Blaine Traxel (2-1, 2.35 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Richie Holetz (0-1, 3.52 ERA) vs RHP Grant Siegel (1-1, 8.25 ERA)

I imagine George's fastball on Saturday is going to make the sting feel awful for some poor hitters.

As long as he can command it, which is always the caveat with him

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Lineup today
Bateman CF (.392)
Counsell 2B (.288)
Mezzenga SS (.391)
Hunt RF (.231)
Swenson C (.238)
Larson 3B (.207)
Merila DH (.261)
Bork 1B (.095)
Berkland LF (.083)

Novotny P

Those are some lean stats at the bottom of the lineup there. Bork and Berkland are a combined 3 for 33 with no extra base hits and 15 strikeouts. Hope they can get out of their funk. That's a tough lineup when presumably facing the ace of West Virginia.

 

[Goldy Gopher]

Lineup today
Bateman CF (.392)
Counsell 2B (.288)
Mezzenga SS (.391)
Hunt RF (.231)
Swenson C (.238)
Larson 3B (.207)
Merila DH (.261)
Bork 1B (.095)
Berkland LF (.083)

Novotny P

Those are some lean stats at the bottom of the lineup there. Bork and Berkland are a combined 3 for 33 with no extra base hits and 15 strikeouts. Hope they can get out of their funk. That's a tough lineup when presumably facing the ace of West Virginia.

Trying to get as righthanded as they can against a pretty tough lefty it looks like

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Only following on-line as I don't have ESPN+ but great start thusfar.
Gophers manufactured a run in the t1 thanks to a wild pitch and sac fly.
Novotny gets WVU 1-2-3 in the b1
Gophers get 3 hits including a huge 2-out double by Counsell to go up 4-0 in t2.

We were just talking about Bork and Berkland and the struggles they've had. Well credit to them, they had quality plate appearances in the 2nd. Bork came up with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 0 out and worked a walk (fouled off two pitches with 2 strikes). Then Berkland hit a sac fly to LF to score the 2nd run of the game. Good to see.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Novotny is his own worst enemy in the b2
Walk
Walk
Walk
.....then what has to be the dumbest decision....on a 2-0 count after the P has just walked 3 guys, the batter swings and grounds out. Scores a run but man, you don't swing in that spot.
Another ground out scores a run.
Walk #4
Fly out.

Might be time to bring in Malec, Wietgrefe or Capomaccio

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

When it rains it pours. Berkland commits two errors on a play in b4 to give WVU 2 runs. Then Capo replaces Novotny in b5 and proceeds to give up 4 runs, all with 2 outs (single, double, HR). Gophers 5-2 lead had been turned into a 9-5 deficit.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Someone needs to tell me about this approach to hitting in the t6. We start the inning trailing by 4
Bork walks on 4 straight pitches

Berkland then comes up....one of your struggling hitters...and he fouls off the first pitch. Second pitch he grounds into DP. Wouldn't you want him to take that first pitch? Maybe it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

Hokenson then PH for Bateman (not sure what that is about) and he also walks on 4 pitches.

The comes up Counsell and he swings at the first pitch and flies out to LF.

Seriously, what is going on? You're down 4 runs with the top of the order coming up. YOu need base runners and have a pitcher clearly struggling with control. I'm baffled.

 

[Goldy Gopher]

Someone needs to tell me about this approach to hitting in the t6. We start the inning trailing by 4
Bork walks on 4 straight pitches

Berkland then comes up....one of your struggling hitters...and he fouls off the first pitch. Second pitch he grounds into DP. Wouldn't you want him to take that first pitch? Maybe it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

Hokenson then PH for Bateman (not sure what that is about) and he also walks on 4 pitches.

The comes up Counsell and he swings at the first pitch and flies out to LF.

Seriously, what is going on? You're down 4 runs with the top of the order coming up. YOu need base runners and have a pitcher clearly struggling with control. I'm baffled.

I like an aggressive approach offensively but like you said you gotta understand game situation, we need baserunners there.
Noticed Bateman limping a little after making a running catch going to the wall in center. Didn't really see him crash into the wall.
Novotny was awful, felt like he had no command at all. The bunt single to start the 3 run inning is on him just being too casual should have been an easy play but took way too much time.
Berkland dropping the ball in left was a killer and then the throw and lack of urgency from our infielders getting the ball allow the hitter to score too.
The go ahead run in the 5th should have been an out too. Great throw from Bateman but Swenson looked like he tried to rush the catch/tag and instead it tips off his glove. Throw beat the runner by a good 3-4 steps.
The game quickly turned from the Gophers in complete command on the dropped flyball to a total meltdown and West Virginia running away with it.

 

[Goldy Gopher]

Only following on-line as I don't have ESPN+ but great start thusfar.
Gophers manufactured a run in the t1 thanks to a wild pitch and sac fly.
Novotny gets WVU 1-2-3 in the b1
Gophers get 3 hits including a huge 2-out double by Counsell to go up 4-0 in t2.

We were just talking about Bork and Berkland and the struggles they've had. Well credit to them, they had quality plate appearances in the 2nd. Bork came up with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 0 out and worked a walk (fouled off two pitches with 2 strikes). Then Berkland hit a sac fly to LF to score the 2nd run of the game. Good to see.

Bork was awfully lucky. Ball 4 should have been strike 3. They actually had to review because scoreboard had the wrong count and they initially brought Bork back to the plate, but 14 had them review it because they knew it was ball 4.

 

[Goldy Gopher]

The game turned here

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Wow. The drop was bad enough but the lack of hustle by Mezzenga is really inexcusable.

What's really frustrating is that today the bats seemed to be there. They may have left a few more out there but 5 runs on 10 hits through the first 4-5 innings.....they were there today. It just seems that this team cannot get everyone on the same page for a full 9.

 

[SomeGopherFan]

That was a rough one today. Two dropped fly balls, misplayed bunts, errant throws, guy picked off second, an out dropped at home, pitching wasn't good, etc. Need to be much better tomorrow and Sunday.

 

[Goldy Gopher]

It was a cold rainy day but both teams have to deal with it.
Gophers were very loud and active from the start you could hear them on the field mics really bringing energy but after that drop it seemed like all the air came out.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Bateman out today. Neels catching for Swenson.

 

[Goldy Gopher]

Really really encouraging outing from Klassen. Numbers won't look as good as they should because of defensive failures.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Really really encouraging outing from Klassen. Numbers won't look as good as they should because of defensive failures.

What were the miscues?

I haven't looked in depth but it seems base runners are stealing much more frequently on Neels than Swenson.

 

[SomeGopherFan]

What were the miscues?

I haven't looked in depth but it seems base runners are stealing much more frequently on Neels than Swenson.

On the first run in the inning, the throw short hopped second and was a little bit to first base side (and runner had base anyway), but we whiffed on the play and it deflected off runner to allow him to score. Bad luck on the deflection but seemed like the throw needs to be handled. There was also a routine grounder to short where it appeared he double clutched on throw allowing runner to reach. The worst, IMO, was Hauser had guy picked off going to third and threw in plenty of time but tag was slow and late and runner was safe.

The one bad inning really did them in today.

 

[Goldy Gopher]

What were the miscues?

I haven't looked in depth but it seems base runners are stealing much more frequently on Neels than Swenson.

West Virginia is just a very fast aggressive team on the bases.
Larson had an error and another play they gave a single as the runner just beat his throw but it was a routine grounder he just didn't have enough urgency with.
Another was the runner slid into Neels throw and it deflected off him into left allowing him to score.
Hauser came in and immediately had the guy picked at 2nd and Perry didn't attack the runner with the tag and was kinda slow on it and the runner ended up getting in safe at 3rd.

 

[SomeGopherFan]

Series finale in Morgantown delayed half an hour due to snow. Getting swept on weekends is getting really old - time for a W!

 

[Goldy Gopher]

You knew when the first two walked in the 8th we weren't holding the 3-2 lead and couldn't limit the damage this time either turning it into a 7-3 game.

 

[SomeGopherFan]

You knew when the first two walked in the 8th we weren't holding the 3-2 lead and couldn't limit the damage this time either turning it into a 7-3 game.

Same here. I was already thinking odds were high both were going to score and was hoping perhaps we could score a run in the 9th to tie. Instead, it became a nightmare of a half inning.