Hog Baseball?

[panichog]

Does anyone know why DVH let Parker go to the plate?  Blake Parker is an iffy guy to me although sometimes he comes thru when I doubt him the most but as of late, he hasn't been producing.  And just to put my 2 cents in.  The squeeze was attempted and failed.  The poor effort was at THE PLATE.  Just a failure to score.  The coaching was there.  Parker is a Junior with plenty of experience in those situations! Walker had a HOT bat going into the series and his ejection just kind of funked things up with him I would assume.  Forsythe should know better than to stand there looking.  WE JUST DIDN'T GET IT DONE WHEN WE SHOULD HAVE!!  That's baseball.  Say it with me, "This is baseball"  Up until this season, DVH has been an awesome "Manufacturer" of runs.  We just don't have that type of team so you have to rely on the big hit/big play.  Don't you agree Charlie?  Trust me, Parker and those guys got their fill of it after the game.  IF you want to see how they handle after losing, just put your binoculars on Jorn and Van Horn in the huddle out in left field when they lose at home.  Let's go get them this week!!  It's huge.

Go Hogs Go

[stan the man]

I don't understand taking a third strike.  If you have two strikes you need to be somewhat agressive if the ball comes anywhere near the plate.  I've heard Chuck say on several occasions that the batter was looking for some other pitch and that was why he was caught looking.  With two strikes you cannot afford to be looking for a certain pitch, you gotta be ready for anything

[TuckFexas]

I don't understand taking a third strike.  If you have two strikes you need to be somewhat agressive if the ball comes anywhere near the plate.  I've heard Chuck say on several occasions that the batter was looking for some other pitch and that was why he was caught looking.  With two strikes you cannot afford to be looking for a certain pitch, you gotta be ready for anything

While I agree they need to be more aggressive with 2 strikes, they have to make a judgment call within a split second. I've taken a few called 3rd strikes in my lifetime. I didn't see the pitches, so couldn't tell you if the ball first looked outside and tailed back over the corner, or looked inside and tailed back over the inside corner. Or maybe it was a breaking ball that looked high and then broke off the table and dropped in for a strike. With the bases loaded, a walk is just as good as a hit.

[Redzoner]

PanicHog, Parker went to bat because A) Hum did not make the trip to Oxford, B) Hollensworth was sidelined with back spasms. The only options would have been to put Robison or Hrozek up there. Both right handed batters. It would be a wash to sub there. Robison might have given a chance to get a bunt down, but sacrificing him would waste him as a potential pinch runner and it was the DH spot so he could not play outfield like he wound up doing for Dugger in the 9th. Probably not the best to have up there, but we didn't have much choice.

[Porkerpower]

Man with 2 strikes, choke up, look for the fastball and at least foul off the curves.  Baseball 101.  Never look for the curve ball and let em get the fastball by ya with 2 strikes.

[chiefsfan]

and it was runners on 2nd and 3rd, NO OUTS.
   

Squeeze, squeeze.

Okay let's squeeze. We're up by 1. They scored in the 9th with no outs, so it's reasonable that they would have scored again, since Collis was getting jacked all over the park. We still lose.

We have to have a hit from upper classmen in that situation. Bottom line.

You both are right.  Squeezing, is a good call in that situation.   Although the correct way to do it is to bring in Stephen Robison to pinch hit.   Kids the best bunter and fastest player on our team.   If parker bunts it well enough, then not only does the run score, but the bases are still loaded with one out.    You also only bunt with 1 out, You do not bunt Brian Walker with 0 out because the kid has been hittin the ball really darn well.   The infield was back, you let Walker hit, then after they walk arnold, you bunt your next guy.   That was DVH's plan.  It just didnt work, thats baseball...  Still we need hitters that can come through in the clutch.   We have some, Forsythe is borderline.  He gets big hits, but is still learning to hit SEC pitching its just Blake Parker isnt, and Matt Willard  (On deck after Forsythe) isnt...  We have a gaping hole at the bottom of our lineup without Chris Hollensworth...

Collis wasnt jacked all over the park either, he struck out the side in the 8th I remind you, 3 9th inning singles, one against a drawn in infield does not qualify as being jacked.  Thats just good hitting.

[chiefsfan]

Man with 2 strikes, choke up, look for the fastball and at least foul off the curves.  Baseball 101.  Never look for the curve ball and let em get the fastball by ya with 2 strikes.

Its not that easy...  Often times, especially against a guy like Kline, who basically throws straight fastballs up there in the low 90's, you begin to expect a pitch.   Thats the mark of a good pitcher.  You throw 2 fastballs up their for strikes, and then throw a 2 strike curve, often out of the zone, If the batter tells himself to swing at anything, he misses the curve and strikesout, if he gets used to the heat and waits for it, and you spot your curve right, then strike 3.

We strikeout way too much, everyone here agrees on that point.  But none of us are gonna volunteer and try to take their place in that situation and see what happens.   Almost every pitch, the batter is looking for a certain pitch, if it comes, he hits it, if it doesnt, you take untill it comes.  The mark of a major league hitter, is the ability to hit the balls you arent expecting.   Logan Forsythe in all fairness, aint major league level just yet...

[TuckFexas]

I'll volunteer to take their place! I'd love to face SEC caliber pitching.