Seemed strange that Coach used Aschenbeck in the 8th inning of the second game Friday, when we were leading 16-7.

We could have used him in the bottom of the 7th inning Saturday, when we were leading 9-8, that's been his primary (success) role for the past 2 years.

RR

While we were ahead big, clinching a ranked road SEC series seemed to be the goal with that

Secure the series at all cost, I guess. Coach said he didnt think we'd play on Saturday, if i recall correctly.

Trust Coach Schloss!

In reply to Commander Gorn

Commander Gorn said:

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While we were ahead big, clinching a ranked road SEC series seemed to be the goal with that

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Especially when the weather forecast for Saturday was very iffy in getting the game in.

It is a ***** in our armor. We need to have faith that others in our bully can hold a 7-run lead and conserve Evan. We obviously don't.

I trust Schloss 100% but this is a valid observation. When he put Asch in with a 9 run lead several posters commented on it and said we'd likely need him Saturday. They were right. We sweep if he's available Saturday.

On the other hand I totally get clinching the series. I've already made flight and hotel reservations in Omaha, but if we get there and don't have any relievers that can hold a 9 run lead against Bama, it may be a short trip. Which is crazy to think about because this team is LOADED and no doubt the best team in the country. Bottom line, I trust Schloss but he doesn't have much faith in our pen obviously. That's concerning.

It was a questionable decision but I don't really blame Schloss. We'd given up a grand slam that day and you're going for the kill. If we're arguing about getting one win versus two it's a totally different story. But the mission was win 2 and protect the #1 ranking. Mission accomplished.

You go all out to win the game you know you can win. Especially with the chance of a series win on the line. You know you have a lead now and using Aschenbeck likely will maintain that lead. You use him and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

You don't know how tomorrow's going to go. Maybe it's reversed and we're the ones down by 9 in the seventh inning. Then say you didn't use Asch the night before or used him too late and lost. Now you can use him, but he can't score the runs you need to win. Then we're looking at a series loss instead just because you wanted to "save" your best pitcher for a sweep. Unlikely scenario, yes, but why give it a possibility to manifest? Sweeping is nice, but winning the series is more important than sweeping.

This isn't paraphrasing Schloss, but just what I've gleaned his philosophy is from interviews he's done.

Sounds like if Schloss thought we had a good chance to play Saturday he would have saved him.

In reply to LB12Diamond

LB12Diamond said:

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Sounds like if Schloss thought we had a good chance to play Saturday he would have saved him.

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That too. He sounded very doubtful we'd even play on Saturday.

Great thread and I appreciate the open-mindedness. As we have seen, posting these sorts of questions on the game threads will get you eviscerated by certain posters.

I was puzzled by the move as well, but after listening to the Schloss interview during the 30min delay where he explained his reasoning, it made perfect sense. He wanted to throw Sarge while we were ahead and could secure the win. His thought was essentially, "what if we don't use if on Friday when we're ahead and could secure the series and end up having to use him in a blowout game on Saturday instead". It made sense and I'm glad he's having to work through all that instead of me.

did the same thing in the 1st or 2nd game against south carolina. 7 run lead in the 7th. schloss clearly doesnt trust anyone else in the bullpen, despite whatever gaudy stats they might have.

This is just my opinion, but I like that we are prioritizing the series win over the sweep. I'm not saying that sweeping isn't important, but the series win is what will keep us in the top 8. Though if we do keep the 1 spot, I have full confidence that this team can beat the curse.

In reply to GarryowenAg Agreed, I don't understand why there's such a strong urge to shut up anyone who wants to talk baseball. Pitching strategy is a legitimate topic of conversation, about which there can be disagreements even among people who think that, overall, Schlossnagle is doing a great job.

In reply to MMantle Willing to bet Schloss has second-guessed his own decision, and even regrets it, truth be known.

In retrospect, the situation in game 2 Friday was an ideal opportunity to trust one (or more) of the other arms (that he used on Saturday) to finish the game with a 9 run cushion (before he had to resort to Sarge). Some of us thought so at the time (never mind we didn't feel the need to express it on the game thread).

As has been clearly stated, we're gonna need several more pitchers to step up and share the load. I look forward to seeing them emerge, because I'm convinced they exist.

Maybe he is wanting to put some other guys in pressure situations so they are prepared when they need to be. It is different pitching in a 1 run game vs being up 9.

We are not guaranteed tomorrow in anything we do.

Secure the series win and move on.

In reply to Serious Lee

Serious Lee said:

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did the same thing in the 1st or 2nd game against south carolina. 7 run lead in the 7th. schloss clearly doesnt trust anyone else in the bullpen, despite whatever gaudy stats they might have.

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Aschenbeck has been excellent, but he's not unhittable. The great thing about him is that, even when he gives up a home run, it's a solo shot because he doesn't walk folks. So, when we've got a lead of several runs, and several innings to chew up, Schloss likes to put that win in his pocket by going to Aschenbeck.

Cortez has the best stuff out of the bullpen, and Schloss wants to keep bringing him along to the point that he can bring him in for the highest leverage situations. If you were in a tie ball game in the bottom of the 9th, and the other team had the winning run at 3rd with less than two outs (a situation where you need a strikeout, and length doesn't matter), I think he might go with Cortez over Aschenbeck. Even if it would be a hard choice right now, I think that's what Schloss is driving for as his long term plan.

Sdao has had some great outings, and is particularly valuable against a lefty dominant team like Bama, but we may need him to start if Lamkin's current trend continues.

In reply to twk I would like to see Sdao start Sunday and even though is short rest this week, I'd like to see Lamkin in the midweek starting role for a week or two.

In reply to LB12Diamond

LB12Diamond said:

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Schloss made a great point on the Bama lineup.

Yes, they are loaded with lefties. But they know how to hit lefty pitching bc they get to go against it a lot with their own pitchers. That's the reason the Bama coach has no issues putting them all together. They also are a very experienced team with a lot of older players. Said that their lineup is harder to go against than the Gators.

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Bama can flat out hit. They could be a real problem in a regional if they get any quality pitching at all.

In reply to Commander Gorn

Commander Gorn said:

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While we were ahead big, clinching a ranked road SEC series seemed to be the goal with that

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To be honest, if the rest of our bullpen can't get 6 outs before they score 9 runs then we don't deserve to win that series.

In reply to Gyles Marrett

Gyles Marrett said:

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Commander Gorn said:

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While we were ahead big, clinching a ranked road SEC series seemed to be the goal with that

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To be honest, if the rest of our bullpen can't get 6 outs before they score 9 runs then we don't deserve to win that series.

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I wasn't about to follow along in real time but if I remember right he came in with about a 6 run lead and runners on base didn't he? So with the wind blowing out it was in real danger of being a 3 run game.

In reply to Sean98 correct

In reply to Sean98

Sean98 said:

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Gyles Marrett said:

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Commander Gorn said:

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While we were ahead big, clinching a ranked road SEC series seemed to be the goal with that

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To be honest, if the rest of our bullpen can't get 6 outs before they score 9 runs then we don't deserve to win that series.

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I wasn't about to follow along in real time but if I remember right he came in with about a 6 run lead and runners on base didn't he? So with the wind blowing out it was in real danger of being a 3 run game.

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And it wasn't in the eighth inning, it was the sixth inning. Seems to me many making the criticism were not even watching the since they seem unable to recall the situation. Is it valid to argue that maybe to pitch someone else in once the lead was opened up in the eighth? Sure, especially if were necessary to win both but since it was not I'll trust Schloss positioning the team to meet its long term goals.