IU vs Nebraska and O$U: 5/21 - 5/24/21

[Aaron 4,588]

We get our first hit, but Houston with an inexplicable bunt with 2 outs and Espalin at first to get Huskers out of inning.

Only forced Hroch to throw 40 pitches and this is a guy who has not gone over six innings once and when he did he gave up two runs. However, at this rate could easily go seven shutout innings and would be three times in four games we have let pitchers have career days.

I am not sure if team has worked so hard hitting lefties, they are struggling with other guys. However, you can't solve your issues with lefties and them turnaround and look absolutely befuddled against mediocre pitching (and mostly righties to boot), and not raise serious questions about Held and hitter development.   

[Aaron 4,588]

Brown with a good fourth. Absolutely giving IU a chance to win unlike Sommer. Not his fault, IU is looking absolutely confused by an average righty. 

[Aaron 4,588]

Finally a single and a hit batter put two with one out. Really need to capitalize.

[Aaron 4,588]

Colopy ruins the inning grounding a 3-1 pitch into a double play. Absolutely inexcusable. 

[CSP 12,238]

Hold on.. 

If you have base runner interference on a bunt, you get to still advance your runner from 1st? Wtf? 

Is that really the rule? 

[CSP 12,238]

Nevermind. The stats checker was just wrong. 

He's on 1st. 

[Aaron 4,588]

Well umps absolutely saved IU that inning. Hard to tell if they were right calls, but a runner interference call and a controversial strike 3 into mitt go IU's way and it allows another scoreless inning from Brown.

I assume that is it with 96 pitches, but Brown absolutely has given you a chance to win and worked adversity. 

Now need to stop striking out against a guy who is average and does not strike out a lot of people.

[Aaron 4,588]

Still look completely befuddled. Hroch at just 80 innings through 5 with two hits. This is a guy who has given up at least three hits in every start (and that three hit game included two runs in 4.2 innings). If you don't include that game, he has given up at least 5.

Serious questions of Dan Held need to be asked as the hitting coach. It has happened far to many times this year where average pitchers have had career days against you and approach at times has been really bad.

Held can have one more chance next year no matter what happens, but if nothing changes its either Held or Mercer who needs to go.

Mercer and Parker absolutely deserve kudos for the pitching outside of how Sommer has been handled, but unless Held can show he can start developing hitters and not letting so many pitchers have career days against us change is needed. Major issue all year.

Braden Scott in for 6th. 

[Aaron 4,588]

Now 3-0 as we absolutely blew a tag at home where you had runner dead in water on a triple. Great job to slide around it by Huskers but another must make play IU does not make. 

[Aaron 4,588]

Damage stops there as Huskers tried a suicide squeeze and popped up bunt for double play to end it. 

3-0 now and offense must get going. 

[Aaron 4,588]

Really hard luck for Richardson as he lined a one out shot at third for double play. With that said when you hit like this, bad things happen.  

[Aaron 4,588]

Mudungo in so apparently Bothwell will start again on Monday.

[Aaron 4,588]

IU down 3-0 at stretch. 

[Aaron 4,588]

Did some research. With Hroch we now have now had no less than seven guys have their season best outing (and in many cases career best) against IU. FYI I am counting that Illinois bullpen game as number seven since every bad pitcher befuddled us.

Either way IU has to have something change with their hitting or we need a new hitting coach. That number inexcusable, especially for a team as talented as the Hoosiers.

Terrific inning from Manous as he continues to work back from injury.

Still 3-0 to bottom 8.  

[Aaron 4,588]

Hroch back out. 

[Aaron 4,588]

Hroch strikes out everyone again at well over 110 pitches. Mercer and Held have some major explaining to do why hitting has been so inconsistent this year against mediocre starters.

Forget Big Ten Championship. If we don't win four out of last five we won't even make NCAA Tourney and even them could be dicey depending on how other teams do.

If we continue this late season cave in and play our way out of tourney which is looking more likely by the day, Mercer and especially Held need to be on notice. 

Hitting has had trouble all year and rather than fix it, it has stayed equally inconsistent all year and led to late season cave in. Unacceptable.  

[Aaron 4,588]

To bottom ninth.

[Aaron 4,588]

Hroch will try to complete it as he absolutely should.

[Aaron 4,588]

Richardson with a meaningless HR with 2 outs to break the shutout. A little late now.

[Aaron 4,588]

Well we can't hit AGAIN against mediocre pitching for the SEVENTH time this season. 

If Mercer had done what I suggested and taken Sommer out of Friday role, this pitching performance wins us last nights game.

With that said, absolutely zero excuse for how Hoosiers hit tonight and should of absolutely won when staff gives up three runs.

Pitching was a positive as it has been so many times this season (outside of Sommer starts), but this type of hitting far to many times needs to be scrutinized from the top down given talent we have. 

Also Manous threw two awesome inning tonight as he works his way back from injury which is major positive. With way we used bullpen, everyone but Macciocchi should still be available last couple days. Those are wins we have to have or we can kiss not just our Big Ten Title hopes (which are gone) but also NCAA hopes goodbye.