Final BB Louisiana 11, Troy 15

[CajunRed]

For me it was, I said "A game in hand is worth two in the brush."

Counting Saturdays win, there were two ways to win the series this weekend.

1) go straight to Pruitt on Friday while you have the lead. He was unhittable. Cajuns win

Going to Pruitt after losing the lead was a head scratcher.

2) Keep Pruitt fresh for Sunday. Cajuns Win. Instead, after seeing him Friday, Troy was ready for him.

I have to admit... our pitching usage on Friday just seemed a bit weird. I'm surely not a baseball expert, but I was questioning that as it was happening.

[JAB]

For me it was, I said "A game in hand is worth two in the brush."

Counting Saturdays win, there were two ways to win the series this weekend.

1) go straight to Pruitt on Friday [b]while you have the lead[ /b]. He was unhittable. Cajuns win

Going to Pruitt after losing the lead was a head scratcher.

2) Keep Pruitt fresh for Sunday. Cajuns Win. Instead, after seeing him Friday, Troy was ready for him.

I agree that putting him in after losing the lead is weird, but I also think it's more frustrating to watch than it is actual bad strategy. Of course all of the fans will say, "Why didn't you put him in earlier?" It's very similar to the feeling you get when a struggling pitcher stays in the game just long enough to give up a home run. Hindsight is 20/20.

I think the bigger story is that UL had basically no pitcher that could provide solid relief. You need SOMEONE other than Pruitt to be able to get you out of jams. You can't have only one guy.

[CajunVic]

I agree that putting him in after losing the lead is weird, but I also think it's more frustrating to watch than it is actual bad strategy. Of course all of the fans will say, "Why didn't you put him in earlier?" It's very similar to the feeling you get when a struggling pitcher stays in the game just long enough to give up a home run. Hindsight is 20/20.

I think the bigger story is that UL had basically no pitcher that could provide solid relief. You need SOMEONE other than Pruitt to be able to get you out of jams. You can't have only one guy.

We saw last night that putting him in immediately probably would not have been the ticket either

[Turbine]

We saw last night that putting him in immediately probably would not have been the ticket either

Not yesterday for sure.

Friday definitely.

[JAB]

Not yesterday for sure.

Friday definitely.

But if you put him early on Friday, he would have thrown more pitches and you probably wouldn't have him available for Sunday. So it's a mess either way.

[Turbine]

But if you put him early on Friday, he would have thrown more pitches and you probably wouldn't have him available for Sunday. So it's a mess either way.

Which is why I said there were two ways to win the series.

Pick Friday or Sunday, the team was not going to get a sweep.

Early Pruitt Friday, (lights out) or totally fresh Pruitt Sunday.

UL was never going to have it both ways.

[JAB]

Which is why I said there were two ways to win the series.

Pick Friday or Sunday, the team was not going to get a sweep.

Early Pruitt Friday, (lights out) or totally fresh Pruitt Sunday.

UL was never going to have it both ways.

If you have another reliever that can protect a 4-run lead (and most relievers should be able to protect a 4-run lead) then you win Friday and have Pruitt fresh for a tighter game on Saturday or Sunday. It's very simple, and it's a very good coaching decision. Almost every coach in the country would have done the same thing.

Of course, once the 4-run lead is blown, all bets are off, and you now have options. You can keep Pruitt out and basically admit defeat on Friday, or you can put in Pruitt to try to keep the game within striking distance. Regardless, you shouldn't need your best reliever to protect a 4-run lead. That's absurd.