Another nugget to crunch on while we talk about the bullpen woes....

[maroonmania]

We've only scored more than 6 runs in a game ONCE since a Feb. 24th game against Alcorn and that was a game where we got a bunch of walks from the Samford pitching staff. Heck, Bama scored more than 6 twice against us in the 3 game series we just concluded with them. I feel like this baseball ship has holes in lots of different places. Going to be hard to plug enough of them up to be a team that can accomplish much this year.

[smootness]

This team has several areas they need to improve, but it is a simple fact that Cohen is hurting our ability to score runs. You can't talk about a lack of scoring runs without bringing it up.

[engie]

We're most likely about to be leading the country in OBP. Runs will come if Cohen will just get out of the way and let it happen...

[War Machine Dawg]

We've only scored more than 6 runs in a game ONCE since a Feb. 24th game against Alcorn and that was a game where we got a bunch of walks from the Samford pitching staff. Heck, Bama scored more than 6 twice against us in the 3 game series we just concluded with them. I feel like this baseball ship has holes in lots of different places. Going to be hard to plug enough of them up to be a team that can accomplish much this year.

But it's selectively using stats to point out that other than 4 games against SWAC teams, where we scored an astounding 47% of our runs, we struggle to score. You must not question the Hitting Guru and his offense.

[maroonmania]

But it's selectively using stats to point out that other than 4 games against SWAC teams, where we scored an astounding 47% of our runs, we struggle to score. You must not question the Hitting Guru and his offense.

No, its dead on. And add also to say that in our first 9 games (games up THRU 24 Feb) we scored AT LEAST 6 runs in 8 of those games and double digits in 4 of them (2 Cincy games, 2 SWAC game) and have yet to even come close to 10 runs plus since then. When it comes down to it its how many runs can you produce in a game. Batting averages and OBPs and what not are nice but its really producing runs with situational hitting that makes all the difference.

[shoeless joe]

Folks could nit pick about every team in the country over different things they could do better...but our biggest issue is the pen. That's it. If we don't have a complete implosion from relievers we have at least 3 more wins.

[maroonmania]

Folks could nit pick about every team in the country over different things they could do better...but our biggest issue is the pen. That's it. If we don't have a complete implosion from relievers we have at least 3 more wins.

That's not just it. Its a problem that HAS to be worked at on from both sides, bullpen and offense. I say that because anybody here that thinks that Butch Thompson has some magic potion that is somehow going to turn our current bullpen into what Lindgren and Holder gave us last year is just fooling themselves.

[engie]

That's not just it. Its a problem that HAS to be worked at on from both sides, bullpen and offense. I say that because anybody here that thinks that Butch Thompson has some magic potion that is somehow going to turn our current bullpen into what Lindgren and Holder gave us last year is just fooling themselves.

If you are leading the country in OBP -- runs are going to come. It's common sense when there's a single statistical outlier -- that it regresses to the mean over time. We are striking out far less than we did last year -- and walking far more. We're at 173 free passes to 130 k's on the season right now. That's pretty damn good. We've been really bad with RISP, some of which is on the coaching staff, but if that's the outlier(it is), then it's pretty safe to expect it to improve...

The bullpen is the bigger problem and it's not even remotely close.

[engie]

But it's selectively using stats to point out that other than 4 games against SWAC teams, where we scored an astounding 47% of our runs, we struggle to score. You must not question the Hitting Guru and his offense.

It's not "about questioning the hitting guru and his offense" -- it's how you go about doing it. The sweeping hyperbolic generalizations are your issue -- along with being a jackass and just calling people out for the sake of it without reason generally for positions they took in discussions you didn't even take part in.

[messageboardsuperhero]

We're most likely about to be leading the country in OBP. Runs will come if Cohen will just get out of the way and let it happen...

Has anyone been able to consistently keep us off the bases in a game this year? Maybe that ace from San Diego, but that's all I can think of in the 20+ games we've played.

Cohen needs to check his ego and realize that he doesn't have to put something on every time someone gets on base for us to score runs. Even though we haven't been hitting many home runs, we've actually been hitting for pop in the last few games- the problem is that it's all coming with nobody on base, because as soon as someone gets on base, Cohen takes the damn bat out of our hands. It's frustrating to watch. We don't need to do that shit to scratch across a few runs/game this year.

[engie]

Has anyone been able to consistently keep us off the bases in a game this year? Maybe that ace from San Diego, but that's all I can think of in the 20+ games we've played.

Cohen needs to check his ego and realize that he doesn't have to put something on every time someone gets on base for us to score runs. Even though we haven't been hitting many home runs, we've actually been hitting for pop in the last few games- the problem is that it's all coming with nobody on base, because as soon as someone gets on base, Cohen takes the damn bat out of our hands. It's frustrating to watch. We don't need to do that shit to scratch across a few runs/game this year.

Agreed 100%...

I have the means necessary to get the data to Cohen and just see what he is willing to do with it(in a nonthreatening/non-assumptive manner obviously). He has checked his ego at the door before -- he'll do it again if it helps us win or makes us better IMO.

Head coach trying to do too much = players trying to do too much = a big part of the issues we've seen so far.

[War Machine Dawg]

If you are leading the country in OBP -- runs are going to come. It's common sense when there's a single statistical outlier -- that it regresses to the mean over time. We are striking out far less than we did last year -- and walking far more. We're at 173 free passes to 130 k's on the season right now. That's pretty damn good. We've been really bad with RISP, some of which is on the coaching staff, but if that's the outlier(it is), then it's pretty safe to expect it to improve...

The bullpen is the bigger problem and it's not even remotely close.

One problem with that train of thought: We've been bad with RISP for most of Cohen's tenure. It's not a one year issue. If it were an issue in this season only, then it's fair to expect it to improve. But that hasn't been the case. We talk about our troubles with RISP every freaking year lately.

[War Machine Dawg]

Agreed 100%...

I have the means necessary to get the data to Cohen and just see what he is willing to do with it(in a nonthreatening/non-assumptive manner obviously). He has checked his ego at the door before -- he'll do it again if it helps us win or makes us better IMO.

Head coach trying to do too much = players trying to do too much = a big part of the issues we've seen so far.

On this, we agree. Cohen is definitely trying to do too much. He needs to crank up the Intense Bastard during the week and dial it down during games. Turn these guys loose, stop interfering, and see what happens.