Cohen Presser

[TheRef]

Said Laster will start with Lindgren coming afterwards.

[DudyDawg]

Said Laster will start with Lindgren coming afterwards.

He's usually pretty cagey about stuff, even if everytime already knows it. So this is interesting. Seems like a no bull crap kinda attitude which I love.

[TheRef]

Cohen is basically saying, "Here's what we're throwing at you, come and get some."

[Todd4State]

I know everyone loves Lindgren and rightfully so- but I love the way Laster is throwing the ball.

[BulldogBear]

Cohen is basically saying, "Here's what we're throwing at you, come and get some."

Bark and Growl

[msstate7]

I know everyone loves Lindgren and rightfully so- but I love the way Laster is throwing the ball.

As do I.

[RougeDawg]

I know everyone loves Lindgren and rightfully so- but I love the way Laster is throwing the ball.

Yes, he has been dealing lately. Aggressive and confident. Just hoping we can put some runs up early to allow him to be the normal aggressive.

[maroonmania]

Well that's basically the only 2 guys we haven't thrown so far besides Brown and the freshmen.

[MarketingBully01]

We will be home team tomorrow so it will be important for Laster to throw up a goose egg in the top of the first.

[BulldogBear]

Yes, he has been dealing lately. Aggressive and confident. Just hoping we can put some runs up early to allow him to be the normal aggressive.

I'm feeling like if we get L&L any kind of real run support, it's in the bag.

[BeardoMSU]

I'm feeling like if we get L&L any kind of real run support, it's in the bag.

I agree. I know they raked us tonight, but despite them being a pretty good batting team, we are a pretty good pitch and defense team, so I'm gonna chalk this up as an anomaly. If they do it again tomorrow, I'll stand corrected, but I really feel like our pitching can get it done tomorrow. Ross just wasn't on tonight. We've seen this before this year: he starts, gets rocked early, and never recovers. Thats why I've never been a fan of starting him. His greatest strength is the shock of facing a pitcher throwing +90's then following it up with a crafty lefty with an 83mph fast ball; also, with them already locked into a slow pitcher from their previous game, Ross was dead to rights from the jump.

[Dawg61]

Ross was hurt by the small strikezone, turf giving up multiple singles that would normally be double plays and not locating low. Hanging a curve on a 1-2 count in the first inning vs Gimli was just a bad pitch. Bad pitches happen. Score was 8-8 minus Ross. I look forward to Ross getting another chance next weekend to correct this.

[PMDawg]

I wish we would just start Lindgren. I know he's struggled in that role, but if he's a first rounder, he's got to sack up. It's conceivable that we have a pitcher who will be pitching in the majors later this year that won't see the field in our regional until it's too late for him to make a difference. That's just insane to me.

[TheRef]

I wish we would just start Lindgren. I know he's struggled in that role, but if he's a first rounder, he's got to sack up. It's conceivable that we have a pitcher who will be pitching in the majors later this year that won't see the field in our regional until it's too late for him to make a difference. That's just insane to me.

Here's the thing...if he doesn't feel mentally able to start a game, then why waste him and possibly have him not be as lights out as usual by starting him? If he wants to come in relief, then we use Laster for 2-3 innings just like we use Fitts then bring in Lindgren to close the door. What we saw from ULL at the end of the game gives me confidence in Laster. Tatum was positioning pitches just right last night and ULL wasn't just lollygagging around out there. ULL was trying to hit every ball as hard as they could. I think Laster comes in, goes through the lineup 1-1.5 times, Butch pulls him and puts in Lindgren and he throws 6-7 innings.

[Bubb Rubb]

Here's the thing...if he doesn't feel mentally able to start a game, then why waste him and possibly have him not be as lights out as usual by starting him? If he wants to come in relief, then we use Laster for 2-3 innings just like we use Fitts then bring in Lindgren to close the door. What we saw from ULL at the end of the game gives me confidence in Laster. Tatum was positioning pitches just right last night and ULL wasn't just lollygagging around out there. ULL was trying to hit every ball as hard as they could. I think Laster comes in, goes through the lineup 1-1.5 times, Butch pulls him and puts in Lindgren and he throws 6-7 innings.

We probably have Holder available for 1-2 innings too, although I'm not sure ULL is a good matchup for him.

[RossDawg82]

Ross was hurt by the small strikezone, turf giving up multiple singles that would normally be double plays and not locating low. Hanging a curve on a 1-2 count in the first inning vs Gimli was just a bad pitch. Bad pitches happen. Score was 8-8 minus Ross. I look forward to Ross getting another chance next weekend to correct this.

As soon as the Cohen figured out the Ump wasn't going to give us the low strike he should have pulled Ross. That is his bread and butter

[I seen it dawg]

Laster 1 time thru the lineup and if tied or winning he stays until trouble. Then bring Lindgren and he goes til he runs out of gas. Then Holder.

[War Machine Dawg]

Dislike starting Ross 2.0. We'll be down 4 aGAIN before we can blink and bring in Lingo. Throw someone with some got damn power. Where the hell is Hudson, Tatum, Brown, or Sexton?

[shoeless joe]

Dislike starting Ross 2.0. We'll be down 4 aGAIN before we can blink and bring in Lingo. Throw someone with some got damn power. Where the hell is Hudson, Tatum, Brown, or Sexton?

Your baseball ignorance is showing...Ross and laster are two completely different styles. He may very well get rocked but it won't be because he throws the same stuff as Mitchell.

[shoeless joe]

Deleted

[smootness]

Laster 1 time thru the lineup and if tied or winning he stays until trouble. Then bring Lindgren and he goes til he runs out of gas. Then Holder.

Yup, this. You don't start Lindgren because he's sharper out of the pen. So you bring him out of the pen and don't tell him when he's coming out. He goes full-bore for as long as he's effective. I'm not worried about starting Laster. You have Lindgren ready to warm up even in the first inning if necessary; even if Laster gives up a couple, we're fine. We can score against them.

[smootness]

Your baseball ignorance is showing...Ross and laster are two completely different styles. He may very well get rocked but it won't be because he throws the same stuff as Mitchell.

Yes. And Tatum pitched last night, Brown is done, and Hudson/Sexton just aren't consistent enough to throw in this situation. That suggestion is actually insane.

It's like the people who thought we could just throw Woodruff out there against JSU and be fine. If you can't locate your pitches, it doesn't matter if you throw 95 or 75.

[Goat Holder]

Dislike starting Ross 2.0. We'll be down 4 aGAIN before we can blink and bring in Lingo. Throw someone with some got damn power. Where the hell is Hudson, Tatum, Brown, or Sexton?

ha ha ha ha ha ha

You just get worse and worse. I told you to stop posting about baseball.....it's for your own good.

[War Machine Dawg]

Your baseball ignorance is showing...Ross and laster are two completely different styles. He may very well get rocked but it won't be because he throws the same stuff as Mitchell.

So Laster ISN'T a soft tossing lefty? Coulda fooled me. Don't give a single damn about "styles." It will be the 3rd game in a row ULL has seen a pitcher who doesn't throw hard. I'll grant you that Ross wasn't getting the low strike last night, and that certainly hurt him, but that wasn't the only reason ULL was squaring up everything he threw. They had adjusted to soft toss pitching.

[smootness]

So Laster ISN'T a soft tossing lefty? Coulda fooled me. Don't give a single damn about "styles." It will be the 3rd game in a row ULL has seen a pitcher who doesn't throw hard. I'll grant you that Ross wasn't getting the low strike last night, and that certainly hurt him, but that wasn't the only reason ULL was squaring up everything he threw. They had adjusted to soft toss pitching.

Does he not throw upper-80s? If so, no, he's not a soft-tosser, not in college baseball. He isn't a flame-thrower, obviously, but that velocity is just fine; it definitely isn't on the same level as Mitchell or the JSU pitchers. You're trying to fit him into the same box just because none of them throw 90+; they're still different pitchers with different velocities.

If he pitches like he has been recently, he'll be able to last long enough that we can bring in Lindgren and pretty much let him finish it. And if he struggles early on, we'll bring in Lindgren very quickly. What is the problem?

[engie]

So Laster ISN'T a soft tossing lefty? Coulda fooled me. Don't give a single damn about "styles." It will be the 3rd game in a row ULL has seen a pitcher who doesn't throw hard. I'll grant you that Ross wasn't getting the low strike last night, and that certainly hurt him, but that wasn't the only reason ULL was squaring up everything he threw. They had adjusted to soft toss pitching.

Laster can touch 90 on occasion. He's a "junk throwing lefty" -- not a "soft tossing lefty". They hit Woodruff harder than Mitchell. Bottom line is, with the stuff Mitchell had last night and the strike zone being called, he wasn't beating anyone...

Laster is alot more comparable to Tatum IMO...who I thought looked pretty good against them last night...

[maroonmania]

Does he not throw upper-80s? If so, no, he's not a soft-tosser, not in college baseball. He isn't a flame-thrower, obviously, but that velocity is just fine; it definitely isn't on the same level as Mitchell or the JSU pitchers. You're trying to fit him into the same box just because none of them throw 90+; they're still different pitchers with different velocities.

If he pitches like he has been recently, he'll be able to last long enough that we can bring in Lindgren and pretty much let him finish it. And if he struggles early on, we'll bring in Lindgren very quickly. What is the problem?

Yes, and Lindgren wouldn't likely throw a complete game even if he started. Whether he throws the last 6 or 7 innings or the first 6 or 7 we would still need some other pitcher (Laster or whoever) to hold ULL down for 2 or 3 innings minimum.

[NCDawg]

I wish we would just start Lindgren. I know he's struggled in that role, but if he's a first rounder, he's got to sack up. It's conceivable that we have a pitcher who will be pitching in the majors later this year that won't see the field in our regional until it's too late for him to make a difference. That's just insane to me.

I totally agree.

[DudyDawg]

Laster can touch 90 on occasion. He's a "junk throwing lefty" -- not a "soft tossing lefty". They hit Woodruff harder than Mitchell. Bottom line is, with the stuff Mitchell had last night and the strike zone being called, he wasn't beating anyone...

Laster is alot more comparable to Tatum IMO...who I thought looked pretty good against them last night...
Completely agree with that comparison. Seeing how Tatum has thrown the past few outings makes me wonder why hasn't seen more chances this season.

[War Machine Dawg]

Laster can touch 90 on occasion. He's a "junk throwing lefty" -- not a "soft tossing lefty". They hit Woodruff harder than Mitchell. Bottom line is, with the stuff Mitchell had last night and the strike zone being called, he wasn't beating anyone...

Laster is alot more comparable to Tatum IMO...who I thought looked pretty good against them last night...

Ah, then my bad. If he can hit 90, he's definitely not a soft tosser. For some reason I was thinking he topped out around 85.

[Percho]

As soon as the Cohen figured out the Ump wasn't going to give us the low strike he should have pulled Ross. That is his bread and butter

I agree with this post. You cannot make Ross throw it down the middle against good hitters. He had the ball all around the edges and could not get a call.

[Irondawg]

This isn't rocket science. Laster goes as long as he's being effective. First signs of danger we're bringing in Lingo, even if that's in the 1st. We are then riding him as long as we can and then we're going to Holder and doing the same. Ideally that will be enough. I don't think we'll be throwing anyone else unless we are up or down 6+ runs

[Irondawg]

I'll add that Bracewell not being able to do the job (and our bats) against JSU hurt us last night. If we had holder in the pen I think we would have seen lingo as early as the 3rd inning last night.

[smootness]

This isn't rocket science. Laster goes as long as he's being effective. First signs of danger we're bringing in Lingo, even if that's in the 1st. We are then riding him as long as we can and then we're going to Holder and doing the same. Ideally that will be enough. I don't think we'll be throwing anyone else unless we are up or down 6+ runs

Yep. And I honestly don't think we'll see anyone else, period, even if we're up 6 runs. If we're down 6, we still might not see anyone else unless it's clear they're just destroying what Lindgren is throwing.

They're our best pitchers, so you put them out there and hope they're on.

[CadaverDawg]

I'll add that Bracewell not being able to do the job (and our bats) against JSU hurt us last night. If we had holder in the pen I think we would have seen lingo as early as the 3rd inning last night.

Holder may have started tonight if we hadn't wasted him vs JSU

[PMDawg]

Here's the thing...if he doesn't feel mentally able to start a game, then why waste him and possibly have him not be as lights out as usual by starting him? If he wants to come in relief, then we use Laster for 2-3 innings just like we use Fitts then bring in Lindgren to close the door. What we saw from ULL at the end of the game gives me confidence in Laster. Tatum was positioning pitches just right last night and ULL wasn't just lollygagging around out there. ULL was trying to hit every ball as hard as they could. I think Laster comes in, goes through the lineup 1-1.5 times, Butch pulls him and puts in Lindgren and he throws 6-7 innings.

because it could very well be 8-3 again by the time Lindgren is warmed up.

[DawgSaint]

Were any of you there when Lindgren "started" the the completion of the first game of the A&M series? I know some will say does not count, but he looked like crap. I don't want to see that again tonight!

[PMDawg]

This isn't rocket science. Laster goes as long as he's being effective. First signs of danger we're bringing in Lingo, even if that's in the 1st. We are then riding him as long as we can and then we're going to Holder and doing the same. Ideally that will be enough. I don't think we'll be throwing anyone else unless we are up or down 6+ runs

It takes time to recognize you need to warm him up, get him to the pen, get him warmed up, then trot him out there. You can't start the game with him warming in the pen either, because then you risk him being there too long and tiring out. If Lindgren has a mental block with starting, I wonder if he has a mental block about coming in with the regional on the line at any point in the game? If he's a headcase, he's going to crack either way. If he's past all that, then it makes more sense to start him. Just imagine how much better we would feel about the postseason if he started the game and mowed down UL for 7 innings. That would change my view on a SR in Oxford real fast. It's put up or shut up time. If you have a 1st rounder, I say you put your season on his back and see if he's actually a 1st rounder.

[DawgSaint]

It takes time to recognize you need to warm him up, get him to the pen, get him warmed up, then trot him out there. You can't start the game with him warming in the pen either, because then you risk him being there too long and tiring out. If Lindgren has a mental block with starting, I wonder if he has a mental block about coming in with the regional on the line at any point in the game? If he's a headcase, he's going to crack either way. If he's past all that, then it makes more sense to start him. Just imagine how much better we would feel about the postseason if he started the game and mowed down UL for 7 innings. That would change my view on a SR in Oxford real fast. It's put up or shut up time. If you have a 1st rounder, I say you put your season on his back and see if he's actually a 1st rounder.

He is a high draft pick BECAUSE he is a freakin reliever. Nevermind, this is a pointless argument. He is not going to start no matter what any of us say. The decision has been made and I like it!

[MsStateBaseball]

Did anyone listen to Butch last night on radio show? They saw how effective Tatum was and he told Lindgren and Laster to look at what he was doing. I wouldn't be surprised Tatum comes back for a little bit. Laster, Lindgren, Holder. If ULL hits them and wins, they deserve it.

[preachermatt83]

Laster can touch 90 on occasion. He's a "junk throwing lefty" -- not a "soft tossing lefty". They hit Woodruff harder than Mitchell. Bottom line is, with the stuff Mitchell had last night and the strike zone being called, he wasn't beating anyone...

Laster is alot more comparable to Tatum IMO...who I thought looked pretty good against them last night...

this

[PMDawg]

He is a high draft pick BECAUSE he is a freakin reliever. Nevermind, this is a pointless argument. He is not going to start no matter what any of us say. The decision has been made and I like it!

I didn't realize we were arguing. I thought this was a message board where people gave opinions. I was just giving mine. I know I'll wonder what if if we go through an entire regional without ever throwing him in a meaningful situation.

[smootness]

I didn't realize we were arguing. I thought this was a message board where people gave opinions. I was just giving mine. I know I'll wonder what if if we go through an entire regional without ever throwing him in a meaningful situation.

Well, it was smart not to use him in either of the first two games, I assume you would agree. We won both and didn't need him.

So the only game so far where we could have used him was last night. We had Ross Mitchell going, so I would think you wouldn't want us to start him in that game. And we got done quickly, so it was smart not to put him in then. What if you put him in down 3-0, he shuts them down for 6 innings, then you only score 2? Well, you just wasted him. And after we tied it, they immediately went back up 6-3, so again, it wouldn't have made sense to put him in at that point.

So the only time it would have made sense last night to use him would have been after we tied it in the top of the third. But then we would have just pulled our top SP after two innings; it wasn't really until he started getting hit in the third that it was obvious Mitchell needed to be out of the game. So you're asking for a tough decision there, and it was still a tie game in a situation where we knew we had one more even if we didn't win that one.

So now we're facing an elimination game and he's still available. And he will be in at the first sign of trouble, ensuring that he will be throwing in a very meaningful situation, at least as meaningful as the situation last night when tied 3-3. So what is the issue?

If we started him, we'd have to use someone on the back end anyway.

You are acting as though we might not get him in tonight until we're already down 5-0. I promise you Lindgren will be in the bullpen to start the game and if Laster allows a couple of baserunners right off the bat, he'll start warming up. Cohen is not going to risk letting this game get away before Lindgren comes in, I assure you. He'll come out to the mound and stall as much as possible if he needs Lindgren to warm up quickly.

Lindgren will throw some before the game knowing he'll be pitching. He won't be ice cold.

[DawgSaint]

I didn't realize we were arguing. I thought this was a message board where people gave opinions. I was just giving mine. I know I'll wonder what if if we go through an entire regional without ever throwing him in a meaningful situation.

Not arguing???? Your making an argument to start him and I'm arguing not to. If you want to call it an opinion instead then fine. Bottom line is he is not starting and I like the decision.

[PMDawg]

Looking like a great decision now!!!!