Thoughts Heading Into The Final Week
Crushing loss yesterday and series loss in general. We had an opportunity to sweep the series and to only come away with one sucks. However, we do not need to let that cloud the fact that we knew we needed one going into the weekend and.....WE GOT ONE. There's a lot to like, a lot to hate, and a lot that falls in the middle in regards to how this season has played out:
1. I'll start with the 600 lb elephant in the room, LEMONIS IS NOT GETTING FIRED. It's not happening. The only way he is not in the dugout next February is if he voluntarily leaves for another HC position.
2. It's ok to be pissed about how some of the games have gone, but still admit that we have drastically improved. Have we given some games away, ABSOLUTELY. But we also have won quite a few that we would have lost in the last two years. Saturday night is a prime example. Also the Sunday game at Vandy. Look we have dropped our fair share of games we had no business losing, but we have also won our fair share that we had no business winning.
3. Whether you want to give Lemonis credit or not, his hits out of the portal this year have helped us a ton. If we didn't have Khal Stephen, we would be a .500 ball team with a losing SEC record. Kohler has really started to come on. And despite their offensive inefficiencies, if we didn't have Long and Powell, we would be doomed.
4. Saying that, we missed on not getting a closer. Now whether that was supposed to be Holcombe, Auger, Dohm, Simmons, or whoever else you want to throw in there we do not have a true closer. Hardin is decent, but he doesn't have a go to pitch when he needs a K. Is what it is.
5. Injuries have hurt this team more than anyone is saying. Dohm being out took away either a closer or a weekend starter. Highfill being out took away a catcher and a bat with some pop. Mikhai Grant missing the season was a huge loss that no avg fan knows about. That's a guy that could be our Sunday starter right now. Stone Simmons just not being able to get healthy is another piece that we could've had. The fact that we're where we are with the amount of injuries is borderline incredible.
6. Justin Parker was worth every dime we paid him.
7. Cam Schuelke is a matchup guy in conference play. He cannot be counted on for extended innings. He has no blow away stuff other than the spinner and the umps are still trying to figure out how to properly have a strike zone for him.
8. Cjintje is going to pitch very little, if at all, LH for the remainder of the season. This is by design from him and the staff. His stuff from the right is electric and is what he's being drafted on.
9. Hines and Jordan need to be more consistent. That simple. They need to play to their potential the rest of the way for us to reach ours. They also play markedly better at home and that is why we need to host.
10. As much as I hate to agree with C34 on this because Chance is a fighter, he does have the weakest arm in the outfield. That does not take away from his bat though. He is very smart at the plate and we need to keep him in the leadoff spot.
11. This weekend we need to define the bullpen. We need to find 3-5 arms and roll. They need to understand that the kid gloves are off. They're going to have to pitch 2 times, and in an emergency, maybe three times a weekend. My guess is that those arms will be Auger, Davis, Hardin, Dohm(if healthy), Ligon, and Kohn. At least one out of Ligon, Kohn, and Auger is probably going to have to start Game 3. Getting Siary back to at least be an opener would be huge. Even if he can only give you 2 innings, it's 2 innings you didn't have.
12. If we can get production 6-9 then we can be dangerous.
13. Last point, enjoy the rest of the season. We can worry about 2025 when we're done with this season. But for now, let's enjoy the one we're in. It's still going and we're still in the hunt.
