Obviously the result could have been better. The game was tied 3-3 in the 9th inning in the 30-degree weather at a top five opponent’s home ballpark. Miami’s Andrew Suarez, a second round draft pick who chose to return to Miami rather than go pro, was scheduled to pitch in this top 15 (top 10 by some polls) matchup. Well, Suarez was scratched from the lineup and Ryan Otero took the mound. For those who do not know, Otero is a junior who had thrown just over 3 innings in his career at Miami, none of those being starts. So now he is inserted to start against one of the best teams in the country. He came out ready to play.
I was at the game. It was cold. Really cold. Here are a few things, pros and cons, which I took away from the game.
Pros:
-Ryan Otero. Like I said above, Otero came ready to play. He pitched great. He threw 3 innings, gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 ER after Lepore got called for a balk, bringing in the runner inherited from Otero.
-The freshmen pitchers. Jesse Lepore and Michael Mediavilla are going to be very good. Both came into the game in tough situations and looked poised. Both also got themselves into some trouble but this early in the season I was very pleased with what I saw from them. I think both will be big time starters for us in the future.
-Willie Abreu. His first two at bats were awful. I mean awful. But his next two he straight raked. He hit a double over the right fielders head, and followed that at bat with a rip into the gap that put him on 3rd base. He also looked good defensively, running down several balls that looked like possible hits.
-Cooper Hammond. He was good. He gave up a seeing eye single that allowed UF to tie the game, but he struck out Harrison Bader and J.J. Schwarz, two the best hitters for the Gators, with runners in scoring position. He was one pitch away from preserving the 3-1 Miami lead. The runs given up on his hit were charged to Lepore.
Cons:
-Timely hitting. This sounds like a broken record. Miami scattered 10 hits over the game, but was unable to get the timely hit with runners in scoring position. The Canes scored on two passed balls. David Thompson was able to drive in the first run with an RBI single, but that was about it. I found myself just hoping for a passed ball or an error for Miami to cross the plate.
-Dumb base running. With one out in the 8th inning, Zack Collins was standing on first, and Willie Abreu up to bat. Abreu ripped a ball into the gap. For some unknown reason, with David Thompson on deck and one out, Coach Morris sent Collins home. He was out by about 4 miles, maybe more. With 1 out, we could have had guys on 2nd and 3rd with Thompson up to bat. The game was tied 3-3 at the time.
Overall, I thought Miami looked good, especially from a pitching standpoint. Sure, you can look at the score and get all bent out of shape and say the season is over, Morris should be fired, we will never be good at baseball again, etc., but this Miami team is going to be fine, as long as Suarez is healthy and his oblique strain (from early reports at least) was not serious. I am not sure how the next two games are going to play out, as UF is set up nicely from a pitching standpoint. Let’s hope Woodrey and Sosa can give Miami two really good starts.
I’m sure there is more, but I was cold and this is what I took off the top of my head.
I was at the game. It was cold. Really cold. Here are a few things, pros and cons, which I took away from the game.
Pros:
-Ryan Otero. Like I said above, Otero came ready to play. He pitched great. He threw 3 innings, gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 ER after Lepore got called for a balk, bringing in the runner inherited from Otero.
-The freshmen pitchers. Jesse Lepore and Michael Mediavilla are going to be very good. Both came into the game in tough situations and looked poised. Both also got themselves into some trouble but this early in the season I was very pleased with what I saw from them. I think both will be big time starters for us in the future.
-Willie Abreu. His first two at bats were awful. I mean awful. But his next two he straight raked. He hit a double over the right fielders head, and followed that at bat with a rip into the gap that put him on 3rd base. He also looked good defensively, running down several balls that looked like possible hits.
-Cooper Hammond. He was good. He gave up a seeing eye single that allowed UF to tie the game, but he struck out Harrison Bader and J.J. Schwarz, two the best hitters for the Gators, with runners in scoring position. He was one pitch away from preserving the 3-1 Miami lead. The runs given up on his hit were charged to Lepore.
Cons:
-Timely hitting. This sounds like a broken record. Miami scattered 10 hits over the game, but was unable to get the timely hit with runners in scoring position. The Canes scored on two passed balls. David Thompson was able to drive in the first run with an RBI single, but that was about it. I found myself just hoping for a passed ball or an error for Miami to cross the plate.
-Dumb base running. With one out in the 8th inning, Zack Collins was standing on first, and Willie Abreu up to bat. Abreu ripped a ball into the gap. For some unknown reason, with David Thompson on deck and one out, Coach Morris sent Collins home. He was out by about 4 miles, maybe more. With 1 out, we could have had guys on 2nd and 3rd with Thompson up to bat. The game was tied 3-3 at the time.
Overall, I thought Miami looked good, especially from a pitching standpoint. Sure, you can look at the score and get all bent out of shape and say the season is over, Morris should be fired, we will never be good at baseball again, etc., but this Miami team is going to be fine, as long as Suarez is healthy and his oblique strain (from early reports at least) was not serious. I am not sure how the next two games are going to play out, as UF is set up nicely from a pitching standpoint. Let’s hope Woodrey and Sosa can give Miami two really good starts.
I’m sure there is more, but I was cold and this is what I took off the top of my head.
