Shocks vs Jayhawks - May 7th

[1972Shocker]

Last week's game at Kansas was a springboard form Garrett Brummett to move into the weekend rotation where he was very solid against MSU. Spike Jr. indeed.

I wonder if tomorrow night's game might do the same for one of the other Shocker pitchers if they can come out and deal effectively.

Kris Gardner is scheduled to start. Maybe Austin Sanders gets a look if Kris is not effective early. Not sure what the other possibilities are? Drew Palmer I suppose. Maybe Tobin Mateychick. Although the latter two guys have not been great in the chances they have had this season.

Maybe we have to stick with A.J. Ladwig but that doesn't exactly give me the warm and fuzzies.

It is a little unsettling that we realy have not solidified the starting rotation this late in the season. The relief corp has been the strength of this pitching staff.

Kris was very effective last year and during the summer. I have been quite suprised that he has struggled so much this year.

Maybe Johnny Coy will get one more chance to see if he can get things going. We could use his bat in the lineup but not if he is a strike-out or double play in waiting. We have to plug someone in behind Casey to increase the chances he will see some pitches in the strike zone.

[shox1989]

Last week's game at Kansas was a springboard form Garrett Brummett to move into the weekend rotation where he was very solid against MSU. Bulldog Jr. indeed.

I wonder if tomorrow night's game might do the same for one of the other Shocker pitchers if they can come out and deal effectively.

Kris Gardner is scheduled to start. Maybe Austin Sanders gets a look if Kris is not effective early. Not sure what the other possibilities are? Drew Palmer I suppose. Maybe Tobin Mateychick. Although the latter two guys have not been great in the chances they have had this season.

Maybe we have to stick with A.J. Ladwig but that doesn't exactly give me the warm and fuzzies.

It is a little unsettling that we realy have not solidified the starting rotation this late in the season. The releif corp has been the strength of this pitching staff.

Kris was very effective last year and during the summer. I have been quite suprised that he has struggled so much this year.

Maybe Johnny Coy will get one more chance to see if he can get things going. We could use his bat in the lineup but not if he is a strike-out or double play in waiting. We have to plug someone in behind Casey to increase the chancec he will see some pitches in the strike zone.

Gene said on his radio show tonight that he would like to get some innings in for Austin Sanders. He was very impressed with him on Sunday.

Ku has won 4 games since they played WSU. They beat Baker 8-0 and then swept Baylor (25-23) this weekend. All 4 games were at Ku.

[pogo]

I think the alumni association is holding a pre game get together also.

[Dave Stalwart]

So I gather the lights went out? :)

[Dave Stalwart]

I just tuned in for the 7-2 sac fly. I guess they can turn the lights back off

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

Im just going to guess they forgot they had a game and turned off the lights..

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

If the lights go out in the stadium, and only Jayhawk fans are there to see it, does it get dark or will thier holier than thou attitude produce enough light to allow play to continue?

[SB Shock]

Shockers lose 7-5. Had the Shockers not had a bad 5th inning they would have won 5-2. It is rumored that ADES shut the lights off to try and sabotage Gene.

[WuDrWu]

I couldn't take it after that debacle in the 5th. WSU outplayed KU the entire game, save this one inning that really defines what this program has become.

Top 5

Fly out
Single to short (after 6 pitches, no out pitches for us)
single to center, KU runner takes 3rd
single to left run scores. 1st and 2nd 1 out.
strikeout. Double steal attempt (or hit and run, whatever) E2 runner scores. Advances to 3rd.
7 pitch walk (again, no out pitch) 1st and 3rd, 2 outs
5 pitch walk (new pitcher btw) bases loaded.
Triple scores 3.
Fly out.

5 runs. Should have been out of the inning with only 1 run scored.

Bottom 5

Bayliff doubles.
Baker singles but Bayliff stops at 3rd. 1st and 3rd, nobody out.
Gillespie flies out (no sac).
Green HBP Bases loaded, 1 out.
Harbutz strikes out.
Kirk strikes out.

0 runs. 3 LOB.

That's today's Wichita State Baseball.

[Veritas]

Good one SB Shock, though I doubt ADES could even figure out how to screw in a light bulb.

[1972Shocker]

Well this game certainly showed that when you get your hits is more important than how many hits you get.

Seems like an all too common theme this year. Get a lead, then dig a hole, sleep walk through the middle of the game, then show some life late but just not quite enough to recover (including just raking the guy who just shut them out last week).

Kris Gardner was OK and Tobin Mateychick was very good.

We fall to 15-18 in the non-con portion of the schedule (I don't count Kansas Wesleyan as a game).

Shocks probably need to sweep Creighton. I don't think we want to depend on Evansville or SIU to win a game or two from Illinois State.

[SB Shock]

Good one SB Shock, though I doubt ADES could even figure out how to screw in a light bulb.

Why does he need to? He's got Gene who will screw anything....:beaten:

[Veritas]

Ok... That was good. Nicely done.

[Shocker85]

I couldn't take it after that debacle in the 5th. WSU outplayed KU the entire game, save this one inning that really defines what this program has become.

Top 5

Fly out
Single to short (after 6 pitches, no out pitches for us)
single to center, KU runner takes 3rd
single to left run scores. 1st and 2nd 1 out.
strikeout. Double steal attempt (or hit and run, whatever) E2 runner scores. Advances to 3rd.
7 pitch walk (again, no out pitch) 1st and 3rd, 2 outs
5 pitch walk (new pitcher btw) bases loaded.
Triple scores 3.
Fly out.

5 runs. Should have been out of the inning with only 1 run scored.

Bottom 5

Bayliff doubles.
Baker singles but Bayliff stops at 3rd. 1st and 3rd, nobody out.
Gillespie flies out (no sac).
Green HBP Bases loaded, 1 out.
Harbutz strikes out.
Kirk strikes out.

0 runs. 3 LOB.

That's today's Wichita State Baseball.

Exactly my thoughts as the whole thing unfolded. Additionally, the throw to 3rd had NO CHANCE of getting the runner and was a good 10' from the 3rd baseman. Ugh.

The inability to even put the ball in play with RISP haunted this team all season. They get plenty of hits and plenty of runners but the lack of clutch hitting is beyond belief. It is particularly bad in the middle innings then they're always playing from behind. Tonight, KU's middle relief gave the Shox multiple chances and the Shox refused to capitalize.

One more thing I wonder about - KU puts a guy on the bump who throws 90-93 MPH fastballs almost exclusively. Why not start Coy and let him face a guy who isn't going to toss garbage at him all night? I do like how most of the young guys are playing, but as '72 says, we really could use his bat.

BTW, kudos to '72 - nice peek into tonight's game a day ahead.

[WSUwatcher]

I couldn't take it after that debacle in the 5th. WSU outplayed KU the entire game, save this one inning that really defines what this program has become.

Top 5

Fly out
Single to short (after 6 pitches, no out pitches for us)
single to center, KU runner takes 3rd
single to left run scores. 1st and 2nd 1 out.
strikeout. Double steal attempt (or hit and run, whatever) E2 runner scores. Advances to 3rd.
7 pitch walk (again, no out pitch) 1st and 3rd, 2 outs
5 pitch walk (new pitcher btw) bases loaded.
Triple scores 3.
Fly out.

5 runs. Should have been out of the inning with only 1 run scored.

Bottom 5

Bayliff doubles.
Baker singles but Bayliff stops at 3rd. 1st and 3rd, nobody out.
Gillespie flies out (no sac).
Green HBP Bases loaded, 1 out.
Harbutz strikes out.
Kirk strikes out.

0 runs. 3 LOB.

That's today's Wichita State Baseball.

Actually, Doc, they have some talent. But it would be hard to find a worse situational team than this one, and when that's the case the results aren't going to match up with the potential.

That's what tonight, and especially the 5th inning, really exemplified more than anything else: their knack for extracting the minimum from a situation both on defense and on offense. In the top half, yet another case of being unable to get the third out and of giving up a flock of runs in the process. (Maybe someone like SB who has the time and inclination to research such things can answer this, but it sure seems to me that this year's Shocker pitching staff gives up an exceptionally high proportion of opponents' runs with two out, and in many cases with two out and no huge, obvious threat brewing.)

And then in the bottom half, a bases loaded opportunity with less than two out squandered for the umpteenth time -- maybe umpteenth squared -- this year. Another question for SB, and maybe I'm just focusing on Harbutz because I used to think of him as a promising hitter, though a .265 BA and .332 SA tell a different story for a fourth year junior, and again the situational bugaboo was really the killer for him tonight: a nice enough line of 4 1 2 1 in the box, but that 5th inning strikeout pretty much offsets whatever good he did in his other ABs. So here's the question, SB: who's the more deadly rally-killer on the season so far, Harbutz or Coy? And, of course, the larger question for both of them, as well as for the coaching staff: why is Harbutz not getting any better from one year to the next; and why is Coy getting worse?