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Baseball: Northwestern Recap
Filed under:
Oh Captains, My Captains
That just happened. Michigan wins the series 2-1 on the most stunning senior day in recent memory. This series has it all - A pitcher's duel, a stunning heart breaker, a come-from-behind win on senior day featuring the two co-captains completing a walk off. If you have ever been a baseball fan, this was the series for you.
Game One
| Box Score | R | H | E | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3 | |||
| Michigan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | x | 4 | 10 | 0 | |||
W – Gerbe (2-0)… Save – Burgoon (9)
Game one was the pitchers' duel. Michigan managed the early lead thanks to a leadoff walk of Patrick Biondi. After going to third on a perfectly placed hit and run by Toth, going right through the hole vacated by the second baseman, LaMarre would knock him in on a would-be double play, but Northwestern's second baseman double clutched, giving LaMarre just enough time to beat out the throw. After Berset's single, Crank would line out deep to left, gaining an easy sacrifice fly, and Michigan led 2-0.
Alan Oaks was on the mound for Michigan and had a pretty good game. In his 6 innings of work, he gave up 7 hits and 3 runs. Two of those came in the form of solo home runs by Northwestern's third baseman Chris Lashmet. The third run also involved Lashmet. In the 6th, he would single and score on a Zach Morton double that screamed past a diving Lorenz and took a strange hop off the wall, evading Ryan LaMarre in left.
LaMarre would lead the response for Michigan, knocking a triple off the center field wall. This set up Chris Berset up for an easy RBI single.
Oaks would open the 7th with a hard hit double, and the bullpen would take over for Oaks after that, with the game tied at 3 a piece. Gerbe would give up a sac bunt to move the runner to third, but Mike Dufek made a great play on a slow roller by the next batter to gun the runner trying to score and preserve the tie.
In the bottom of the 7th, Biondi got the offense started on a two-out rally. His walk was followed by back-to-back singles by Toth and LaMarre to bring in a run. With the lead, 4-3, it was all Burgoon from here on out.
Notable Stars
- The Pen – 3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K, W, Save
- Anthony Toth – 3/4
- Ryan LaMarre – 2/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3B
- Game Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
- Attendance: 1385
Notable Goats
- Coley Crank – 0/3 RBI, 3 LOB, SACF
The rest of the series, including the THRILLING CONCLUSION, after the jump.
Game Two
| Box Score | R | H | E | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 18 | 1 | |||
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 2 | |||
L – Burgoon (6-4)
This game was the heartbreaker. Michigan dug itself deep in a hole early. Bobby Brosnahan continued his lack of control, posting 10 hits and 3 walks over 4.1 innings. The third inning was a string of six singles for the Wildcats, plating 3 runs. The 5th was the last straw for Brosnahan, though, as after giving up a single and a walk, the lefty gave up a 3-run homer.
Kolby Wood would enter the game at this point and after a couple of outs, he had himself an exit to the inning before Derek Dennis booted a simple ground ball. A run scored on what should have been the last out.
Michigan would get that run back in the bottom half as they began to chip away at the 7-1 NU lead. Nick Urban launched a no-doubter for a solo home run to left, but that was all Michigan could muster in the 5th. The 6th was a different story.
After a Toth pop out, Michigan fans were treated to back-to-back-to back home runs from LaMarre, Berset, and Crank. That's three homers in a row. Dufek would follow with a single to chase the Wildcat starter. The reliever Gailey would throw 4 pitches in a walk to Nick Urban before being replaced by Jensen. He was greeted by Lorenz with a double to the left field wall to score Dufek. Derek Dennis would then reach on a chopper to the pitcher, who threw to first, but the first baseman pulled off the bag rushing to return the ball home. The ball got past the first baseman, allowing Urban to score easily, and a play at the plate saw Lorenz score as well. All of a sudden, Michigan has a 8-7 lead.
Things went quietly until the top of the 8th. After getting two quick outs, Kolby Wood was taken out as John Lorenz made an error on what should have been the last out of the inning. Burgoon was noticeably off, having to throw on back-to-back days again. The first batter he faced ripped a double off the left center wall to tie the game. That was followed by another single and another double, this one bouncing off the left field fence in foul territory, evading Ryan LaMarre again, much like in game one. A final single would plate another, making it a three-run inning for the Wildcats before Burgoon would be pulled without recording an out. The crowd was in shock.
Gerbe would get the last guy of the 8th out and pitch through the ninth. Michigan was unable to get anything going offensively in either the 8th or 9th despite having base runners in both. Nick Urban sealed the loss by being doubled off by the right fielder, extending his lead too far on a shallow pop up. What a way to end the game.
Notable Stars
- John Lorenz – 2/5, 2 R, RBI, 2B
- LaMarre, Berset, Crank – Back-To-Back-To-Back Jacks
- Matt Gerbe – 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB
- Attendance - 1727
Notable Goats
- Lorenz and Dennis – 1 unearned for Dennis. Box score says just one for Lorenz, but really, Burgoon wouldn't have come in if he hadn't. That should be 2 more.
- Berset and Crank – 3 LOB each
- Bobby Brosnahan – 4.1 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Game Three
| Box Score | R | H | E | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 0 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 16 | 2 | ||||
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 18 | 2 | ||||
W-Burgoon (4-1)
And then there was the epic comeback. This game was not all good times and sunshine. No, Brandon Sinnery and Eric Katzman started this game with a solid punch to the gut to each and every one of the 1,780 in attendance. In the first 2.1 innings, the two pitchers combined for 12 runs on 8 hits, 4 walks, and a hit batter. Both had no control of their pitches. Matt Broder came in and did his best to get out of a sticky situation. He would give up 2 runs to close out the Northwestern 3rd, but by then it was already 14-0.
It was bad. It was ugly. Fans left. And are they ever feeling sheepish this morning.
With the top of the order due up in the Michigan 3rd, the momentum shifted. Biondi singled. Toth singled. LaMarre homered. Crank would walk, Dufek would single. URban would double. Dennis would single. Biondi would use his speed to force an errant throw. All of a sudden, it was 14-6.
Then the bull pen came alive. Matt Miller, coming off a poor excuse for a one-inning start against Michigan State, entered the game in a crucial situation. He got his out and Northwestern would strand 2 runners.
That big out would give Michigan more momentum going into the bottom of the 5th. Dufek opened the inning with a single. Urban would walk. Lorenz then doubled to left. 14-7. Dennis would ground out, but a run would score. 14-8. Biondi singled through the infield. It's 14-9.
In the 6th, it started again. A Berset walk got the inning started with one out. After a wild pitch moves him over, Dufek lines one into left. The play at the plate seemed questionable, but Berset is called out. Urban then is hit by a pitch to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Lorenz singles him in, and the lead is just 4.
In the 7th, Berset reminds the home plate umpire that he cares not for his call. With Biondi on first, Berset homers deep to right. The score is 14-12. [I really hope he said that to the ump after hitting it out: "I care not for your prior call, sir!" - Tim]
We move to the bottom of the 9th. Matt Miller has thrown a gem of 4.2 innings in relief so far. Michigan is up and down to their final out. Biondi sits on second after leading off the inning with a single and moving to second on a wild pitch. Chris Berset is up with 2 outs. Strike one. Strike two. The Northwestern moms in the front row embrace in victory.
Stop the presses, Chris Berset takes the 0-2 pitch out of the park. The score is tied! 14-14. Michigan has done it, they've come back from 14-0 on the heroics of team captain Chris Berset and his 2 home runs.
So we go to extras. Matt Miller stays on the mound. Michigan's bullpen is otherwise exhausted of proven options. The inning starts tensely. NU's Morton singles to third on a bunt on the first pitch. The next batter hits into a fielder's choice as Toth fields the ball and steps on second, unable to turn two. A strikeout of Cavagnaro makes it two outs. The next batter singles up the middle. Finally, Miller secures the last out on a swinging strike out, require Berset to throw him out at first. Crisis avoided.
To the bottom of the tenth, we've got the other captain up. Mike Dufek is at the plate. First pitch is a strike. The crowd is silent. The second pitch, it's hammered. It's going, going, gone. Michigan wins! It's a home run for Mike Dufek, capping off the most exciting senior day in recent Michigan history. Michigan wins 15-14 in 10 innings.
Notable Stars
Chris Berset – 2 HRs for 4 RBI. Game tying runs.
Mike Dufek – 1 walk off home run. Game winner.
Matt Miller – 5.2 IP, Win.
There's names that should be named but this win was too awesome. I'm going to go with the Big Ten Network as my Notable Goat for not having this archived soon enough for me to have watched this game 4 times already. I'm still getting pumped up just going through the pictures and descriptions I've gotten from everyone else.
Series Thoughts
Holy hell what a finish today. I had to leave for work right as Evil Katzman entered the game. I was already feeling pretty horrible about the outcome. But wow, for the senior captains to pull that off – for the team to pull that off – on senior day? Wow. That was an emphatic exclamation point that Michigan will never go quietly into the night. There will be buzz from this game carrying on for days.
Outside of the dramatic win, other things caught my eye as well. Michigan's left handed pitching has been horrible the last few games. Matt Broder has become our best option, but hasn't been overwhelming either. I'm hopeful that Katzman's next outing will be a gem. His pattern last year was 2 horrible starts and then a good one. He's had his two bad ones in a row. Penn State, watch out.
Speaking of bad pitching, I think we've hit the limit on Burgoon's ability to throw on back to back days. This is the second weekend that he's shown signs of being over extended. I think he could still probably go twice in a weekend, but too many innings can add up on a relievers arm.
Matt Miller (pictured right) and Matt Gerbe are going to be huge for Michigan next year. If Burgoon stays, I'm not sure if we see another transition to the starting spot for him or not. If we don't, we'll need both of the Matts to step up as seniors. This weekend was a huge one for both of them, each earning a win.
Our offense has come alive. Patrick Biondi went 4/5 with a walk and 3 runs in the series finale, capping off a 5/11 weekend. The bottom of the lineup was also on fire with Urban, Lorenz, and Dennis. This is by far the most productive three-game set they've had all season. When Michigan is clicking like this, there will be no stopping them.
This was a huge series win, and I'm claiming that the 14-run deficit being erased more than compensates for the vengeance called for in the preview.
Up Next
This is a busy week. Michigan faces Ball State in their last home game of the season on Tuesday. From there, they head to State College to face last place Penn State at Lubrano (the nicest park in the Big Ten). The weekend series technically starts on Thursday this week in order to give teams going to the Big Ten Tournament a chance to rest their arms before the action starts the following Wednesday.
|
# |
Team |
W |
L |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Minnesota |
13 |
8 |
|
2 |
Michigan |
12 |
9 |
|
|
Purdue |
12 |
9 |
|
4 |
Northwestern |
11 |
10 |
|
Michigan State |
10 |
11 |
|
|
|
Iowa |
10 |
11 |
|
Ohio State |
10 |
11 |
|
|
|
Indiana |
10 |
11 |
|
9 |
Illinois |
9 |
12 |
|
10 |
Penn State |
8 |
13 |
This will be a huge series, with Michigan needing one win to seal a BTT invite. They also can get in with a loss from Iowa and one from Ohio State, Indiana, or Michigan State. Iowa is the only one of those teams that owns a head-to-head tie break over Michigan (T-Mill over at Hammer & Rails has a needs breakdown).
Go Blue! Beat Penn State!
Baseball: Northwestern Preview
Filed under:
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Michigan (29-18, 10-8) |
vs |
Northwestern (21-27, 10-8) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Friday 6:35pm ET, Ray Fisher Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI |
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| Alan Oaks (4-5, 3.75 ERA) | vs | Eric Jokisch (4-5, 4.59 ERA) | |||
| Stats | Audio (WCBN) | BTN.com ($) | |||
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Notes: Michigan is 108-27 all time, Last year: 1-2 series loss. Jokisch is a LHP. |
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Michigan |
vs |
Northwestern |
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Saturday 1:05 ET, Ray Fisher Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI |
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| Bobby Brosnahan(5-4, 4.64 ERA) | vs | Francis Brooke (5-3, 4.28 ERA) | |||
| Stats | Audio (MGo) | BTN.com ($) | |||
| Notes: | |||||
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Michigan |
vs |
Northwestern |
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Sunday 1:05pm ET, Ray Fisher Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI |
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| TBA | vs | TBA | |||
| Stats | Audio (MGo) | BTN.com ($) | |||
| Notes: Could see Katzman or Sinnery. | |||||
It's the first round of Big Ten Elimination as we've reached the final two weeks of regular season Big Ten baseball. Michigan faces one of the three other teams tied for the Big Ten lead in the Northwestern Wildcats, a team with a solid pitching staff and a surprisingly decent offense that came together just in time for conference play. This is also a series for revenge as Northwestern was the team to knock Michigan out of the Big Ten Tournament in 2009. Vengeance must be had.
Quick look at the midweek game against Michigan State, as well as a preview of Northwestern after the jump:
About that MSU Game
Michigan lost a mid-week, non-conference game at home against Michigan State on Wednesday by a score of 13-10. The first 6 innings were an insult to baseball. They took 3 hours with absolutely no pitching of any quality whatsoever for either team.
The last 3 innings were respectable, lasting just 46 minutes, but by then, most fans had left and I had long since gouged my eyes out at the bile being streamed over my internet connection. Yes, it was that bad.
For those interested, several players did have great games on offense. Coley Crank had two dingers on a 4/5 day, posting 5 RBI. Toth went 3/4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs. LaMarre went 2/4 with 2 RBI and a run. Lorenz went 3/5 with 2 doubles and a stand up triple, scoring two runs. Dennis also had a pair of hits, including a double.
If there is one positive I take out of this, it's that Matt Broder had his first solid outing this year. In his previous 4 stints, he had lasted just over 2 innings combined for an ERA just over 11. Broder has had some solid summer numbers as a left handed starter, but it was against quite weak competition. As a redshirt freshman, we'll see him more over the next few years, and hopefully not as Jeff DeCarlo v2.0 (although the academic side of DeCarlo would be nice, knowing nothing about Broder's academics).
Like any other mid-week game, this meant absolutely nothing. Neither team should brag too much about it as it was ugly. State does have bragging rights for the next year though, as at least they managed to win.
On to Northwestern.
Northwestern's Season
The Wildcats are a tale of two seasons. In the early out of conference schedule, NU was about as bad as it gets. They exited the early season with a 6-18 record with one decent win and a myriad of BAD losses. Looking back, the Rutgers win is much improved as they've been a top 100 team almost all season. The UCONN win is still impressive with the Huskies still in the top 25. On the flip side, they also had losses to George Mason, Winthrop, and Marist, and that was just in their opening weekend.
Since Big Ten play has started, Northwestern is quite a different team. They've lost only two series including the opener against Ohio State and last weekend against Indiana, both in Evanston. Over that stretch, including mid-week games, NU is 15-9, riding some solid starting pitching and an offense capable of scoring just enough runs.
Northwestern's Pitching
In the darkest depths of the off season, I was on the Northwestern bandwagon as a dark horse contender for the Big Ten title (why did I drop them, I'm not sure?) on the basis of their starting pitching. They are lead by lefty Eric Jokisch, who won the series clincher against Michigan last year. The 6'3" junior is one of the better pitchers in the conference in terms of stuff, but he's not overpowering. He has 51 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched, and has an opponent batting average of .285. He does have two complete games on the season, one of them last week at Indiana. He won't give up many extra base hits, but rather a lot of contact singles through the infield. He does have a lot of wild pitches (8) and HBP (5), but I'm not sure how fluky those numbers might be over 12 appearances.
Francis Brooke is a 6'3" sophomore who spent last year as a key contributor in the bullpen. This season, he's been firmly entrenched as a regular starter. He's their workhorse, throwing 74.2 innings including one complete game. He's also not a strikeout pitcher with just 44 on the year, but he has given up a 18 doubles and 7 homers. His biggest strength is his lack of walks. He has just 7(!) this season.
The third starter could be one of a few. The first is Joe Muraski. Muraski earned the other win in last year's series, but he's struggled plenty this year. In 59.1 innings (13 appearances and 12 starts), he's posted a 7.13 ERA and .335 opponent batting average. He's also given up a team leading 19 doubles.
The other potential starter is David Jensen. Jensen is 1-2 over 13 appearances including 4 starts. He's been used as a long reliever for the most part, with 42.2 innings over 13 appearances. His opponent batting average is pretty high at .315, and his ERA is also up at 6.75. Jensen has given up a team high 8 homers on the year and has only 26 strikeouts.
Both Jensen and Muraski are left handed seniors, with Jensen being a bit taller at 6'6". Muraski is only 6'2". The right handed option is freshman Jack Harvey. Harvey was shellacked in his last outing at Indiana, lasting just one inning before Jensen bailed him out. It was his first start, so perhaps that experiment has passed.
The Northwestern closer is righty Paul Snieder (also their everyday first baseman) who has 10 saves in 20 appearances this season, posting a spectacular 1.91 ERA. In 33 innings he has 31 Ks, and only given up 4 extra base hits (20 hits total). The other go to reliever is Matt Gailey. Galey has a 1-1 record with 1 save in 19 appearances. In 22 innings, he's given up just 3 earned runs (6 total) while striking out 14.
Northwestern's Offense
The Wildcat offense starts where the pitching ends, with Paul Snieder. Snieder (hits left handed) is hitting .393 on the year with a team high .596 slugging percentage. His 6 homers and 15 doubles are also both leading the team. The guy is an all around great player and will be tough to deal with all weekend.
Another big hitter of note is Chad Noble. The senior from Texas is in his fourth season as NU's everyday catcher and he's finally exploded this season. After his first two seasons hitting around .250, he moved up to .297 last season. This year, he's currently at a .371 clip. He doesn't have that many RBI (22), but he does have a decent slugging percentage of .515, second to Snieder. He does lead all Wildcats with 37 runs scored.
The high average guy for NU is sophomore second baseman Zach Morton. Morton is hitting .356 on the season with only 10 extra base hits (57 total hits). He second to Snieder on the team with a .455 on base percentage.
The RBI leader on the team is third baseman Chris Lashmet. He's hitting just .304 on the season, but has 35 RBI with 12 doubles, 3 triples, and four homers (.467 slugging).
The only major stolen base threat for the Wildcats is Trevor Stevens. Stevens, a .286 hitter, has 13 steals in 19 attempts on the season.
Weather
That's glorious. Winds should be blowing in stiff from right on Friday. If it's going to go out, it better be on a line and stay below the indoor track building's top. Saturday will be a cross from right to left, but it won't be huge.
Series Thoughts
Last year's NU series was a horrible time for me. I spent that weekend at the funeral for my grandfather. I came home to find that Michigan was forced into a double header by rain, and they lost both, eliminating them from even the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan lost out to the last place team in the Big Ten, falling totally out of contention. I'm craving some retribution for that series loss.
But this NU team isn't the same as last year. These guys are catching fire just at the right time, and Michigan isn't playing that well lately either. This will be a battle between first place teams, both desperately trying to secure one of the Big Ten Tournament byes. It's anyone's regular season title to grab at the moment, and the two teams that secure byes will be sitting pretty when it comes to the auto-bid.
It should be a great series, and very evenly matched, and because Michigan has the home field advantage, I'm taking Michigan 2-1 in the series. I'm hoping the pitching staff is on a weekly oscillation, so last week's horrible starting pitching will be followed up by a sterling performance this week. The team needs it badly.
Stuff I'll be watching for this weekend:
- Will Katzman start Sunday? He was back to Evil Katzman in his brief outing against MSU in the mid-week. I'm never comfortable with him on the mound.
- Will the pitchers cut down on the walks? Alan Oaks was questionable last week, as was Sinnery. Sinnery shouldn't be afraid to throw strikes with his downward motion on his pitches. Our defense should be able to cover.
- Has Coley Crank busted the slump with the 2 homers against State? Was it just another mid-week fluke. On that same note, did we waste great offensive outings by Lorenz and Dennis, two players that have just occasional offensive spurts, in the midweek?
- Was Biondi's 0/3 against State indicative of the slump still lingering, or will he return to the form he was against Minnesota?
If you're in Ann Arbor, get to the Fish this weekend. This is the last home series of the year, with just one home game left after it, this Tuesday against Ball State.
Baseball: Minnesota Recap
Filed under:
What a dump…
Michigan took it on the chin this weekend, dropping two games to open the series at Minnesota, but they battled back to win a close game three and keep pace with the Big Ten Joneses. Recaps, thoughts, and the opening stanza to a MICHIGAN STATE HATE mid-week series after the jump. And no, no pretty pictures as baseball can't be pretty in the Metrodome.
Game One
| Box Score | R | H | E | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 0 | |||
| Minnesota | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 0 | x | 14 | 17 | 1 | |||
L – Katzman (4-2)
This game started with promise. Despite Minnesota's Rosin striking out 6 batters in the first two innings, Michigan still managed two runs. Michigan fans lucky enough to have been at the game might have even been inspired, seeing the same "LaMarre reach base to let Berset hit him in" combo that had been a staple of the offense just three weeks ago. Unfortunately, those aforementioned strikeouts had to bring back dark memories of last season when Michigan collapsed down the stretch.
Michigan gained their second run on a Nick Urban home run in the 2nd, his first hit in a very productive weekend for the right fielder. In the 4th, following a Dufek single, Urban would take a hit by pitch, setting up a John Lorenz clutch single up the middle to give Michigan a 3-1 lead.
On the mound for Michigan, Katzman was everything we expect of him, throwing a ton of pitches, giving up too many baserunners for comfort, and generally escaping big innings. And like any other start like this, he collapsed. With that 3-1 lead, Katzman would start the next inning with a hit batter, a single, and a walk. This was only a sign of things to come, as Katzman managed to escape with only a sacrifice fly for one run.
The 5th inning, he wouldn't be so lucky. Katzman opened the frame with a single and a homer, losing the lead for Michigan. This would lead to Matt Gerbe replacing him, but Gerbe wouldn't fare much better. He ended up giving up 4 more hits, three of them ground balls through the infield. At any other field, those might have been cut off by an infielder. In the Metrodome, they skip quickly through on the turf. That's tough luck, and it saw Minnesota put up 4 runs in the inning.
Travis Smith made his return to the mound in the 6th for the first time since leaving the Notre Dame series with an injury. He wasn't quite as dominant as he was against the Irish. In just a third of an inning, Smith gave up a single, a walk and a 2-RBI double. Freshman Kyle Clark came in from there giving up a walk, a double, and a sacrifice fly.
Clark's troubles extended to the 7th, where he lead off the inning with a single, hit batsman, walk, and single. Freshman Ben Ballantine then entered, giving up three straight singles before getting out of the inning. By then, Michigan was down 14-3.
Michigan did put together a decent inning in the 8th. Chris Berset led off with a single and Crank was hit by the next pitch. After a wild pitch, Dufek knocked a sacrifice fly for the first run. Urban would be hit by a pitch again, and with Kittle pinch hitting for Lorenz, he would single through the right side for another run. Then a few errors by the Gophers lead to two more Michigan runs which brought the game to the final 14-7 score.
Needless to say, this game was a huge disappointment. As predicted, our pitching took a big step back, and this game set a poor tone for the rest of the series.
Notable Stars
- Nick Urban – 1/2, 2 RBI, R, HR, 2 HBP
- Chris Berset – 2/4, R, RBI
- Mike Dufek – 1/2, R, RBI, BB
- Patrick Biondi – 1/5, Broke his 0/28 streak
Notable Goats
- Coley Crank – 0/3, R, 3 K (hat trick), 1 LOB
- Eric Katzman – 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 79 pitches (42 strikes)
Game Two
| Box Score | R | H | E | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 0 | |||
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 1 | |||
L – Burgoon (6-3)
For this game, you can skip right to the ending. With Michigan leading 4-2 after executing a suicide squeeze for an extra insurance run in the top of the 9th, the game looked in the the bag. Tyler Burgoon had been shaky in his previous two innings of work, but you had to feel good going into the ninth.
Then came the punch to the gut. After a fly out, Minnesota's star Kvasnicka singled. That was followed by a single to left center to put runners on the corners. Another single, a run scores, it's a one run game with the tying run on second. Then a four pitch walk, bases loaded – things are tense. The next batter strikes out, two away. The count goes full, and the runners will be moving. It all comes down to the last pitch, Tyler Burgoon versus Minnesota's DH Trip Schultz. The pitch, singled to left center. With runners moving, the game is over before anyone can even field the ball.
Michigan loses 5-4. Yours truly is stunned. What a waste of a solid, albeit shaky, Alan Oaks start. Oaks went 5.2 innings before handing over the game to Burgoon, allowing only 4 hits and two runs (one earned). Even the unearned run came on a Berset passed ball after Burgoon had entered the game. Oaks did walk 6 batters, but managed to get by unscathed for the most part.
Notable Stars
- Mike Dufek – 2/4, 2 RBI
- Nick Urban – 2/4, R, RBI, 2B
- Patrick Biondi – 1/4 R, BB, 2 SB (2nd & 3rd back-to-back). Oddly he scored on the walk, no the hit where he stole both bases. I consider the steals and hit a good game for him after the last few weeks. Wouldn't normally deserve star status.
Notable Goats
- Tyler Burgoon – 3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K, L. Sometimes you're just not on.
- Ryan LaMarre – 0/4. At this point, he's hitting .125 in his last 6 games with 5 Ks and ZERO extra base hits.
Game Three
| Box Score | R | H | E | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | |||
| Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | |||
W – Brosnahan (5-4)
Michigan was out for redemption on Sunday in the Metrodome, throwing Brandon Sinnery in a crucial game three and looking to avoid the sweep. Sinnery was more than up for the task, going 5.1 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits, 4 walks, and 3 Ks. While that's not the best of starts,especially the 4 walks, it's the results that count in the book, and allowing one run over 5.1 got the job done.
Despite the 1 run given up, Sinnery wouldn't earn the win. Minnesota's Phil Isaksson has been the Gophers' best pitcher this year, and today he was just as successful as he's been all season. Isaksson spread 6 hits and 2 runs over 7.1 innings, allowing just 3 walks while striking out 3. His only big mistake on the day was a ball left up for Ryan LaMarre who knocked it off the left field bleachers for a solo home run in the 8th.
Bobby Brosnahan came in with 2 on and one out in the 6th, and induced a quick double play, in what was easily the game changing at bat of the game. Minnesota had been getting runners on with success, but was just short of pushing them across the plate. With that ground ball, Brosnahan set the tone for the rest of the evening. Bobby's final line was 3.2 innings, 1 hit, 4 strikeouts, and zero runs. Huge win for Brosnahan.
Notable Stars
- Bobby Brosnahan – 3.2 ip, 1 H, 0 R, 4 K, W
- Ryan LaMarre – 1/4 HR, game winner
- John Lorenz – 2/4, RBI
Notable Goats
- Ryan LaMarre – 3 LOB
- Cole Crank – 0/2, R, BB, 2 K, 2 LOB
- Runners left on base total: 10
Series Thoughts
Despite predicting the 1-2 series loss, it still was a disappointment to lose so badly in game one, and probably worse that we lost the way that we did in game two. That said, I'm feeling a little more comfortable with the pitching staff overall. Oaks and Sinnery are giving up a few too many walks, but they are battling through innings more often than not. I don't think Katzman will ever be a safe bet as a starter, but once every three weeks he'll pitch a gem and win a game I would have expected to lose otherwise. The rest of the time, we get what we saw this weekend.
I'm also encouraged by a few hitters picking it up this weekend. Biondi went 4/13 over the weekend with 3 steals. That's a huge improvement over the 0/28 he was facing coming into the weekend. Nick Urban also had a tremendous weekend going 4/9 with 2 doubles, a home run, 3 runs, 3 RBI, and 3 hit by pitches. That's a lot of offense right there.
The next piece to the slumping puzzle needs to be either Ryan LaMarre or Coley Crank. Before that homer in game three, LaMarre hadn't had an extra base hit in 3 games, sporting a .125 batting average over the last two weeks. Maybe the homer will be a spark going into next week against the Spartans. Crank looked to be coming out of the mini-slump after a great weekend against Ohio State. This week, he regressed quite a bit, going 0/9.
Lastly, Minnesota is a much better team than their overall record may lead to believe. They might have one of the best rotations in the Big Ten, right up there with Purdue. They also have a good core of hitters and they are probably a favorite for the Big Ten Tournament right now.
Conference Jockeying
The standings are still in a mess, and one series isn't completed just yet. As of Sunday night, Michigan sits in second place, half a game behind Purdue. The Boilermakers finish their series with the Spartans on Monday, and the way things have gone this season, I think we see MSU win. Why is that, you may ask? If Purdue loses, that puts a 4-way tie for 1st place at 10-8 and a 4-way tie for last place at 8-10. That's all ten Big Ten teams within 2 games of the leaders with just two weekends left before the tournament.
The Funnel of a Sucky Conference
Chaos. That's why.
For those of you that prefer something easier to read:
|
# |
Team |
W |
L |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Purdue |
10 |
7 |
|
2 |
Northwestern |
10 |
8 |
|
|
Minnesota |
10 |
8 |
|
|
Michigan |
10 |
8 |
|
5 |
Ohio State |
9 |
9 |
|
|
Indiana |
9 |
9 |
|
7 |
Iowa |
8 |
10 |
|
|
Illinois |
8 |
10 |
|
|
Penn State |
8 |
10 |
|
10 |
Michigan State |
7 |
10 |
Northwestern beat Minnesota who beat Michigan. Michigan will face Northwestern next weekend. Ohio State took the series against Indiana. Iowa beat Illinois who beat Penn State. Iowa has yet to play Penn State. If MSU beats Purdue on Monday, all those tie breakers mean nothing.
Purdue probably has the easiest path to a Big Ten Tourney bye, with Illinois and Iowa as their two weekend series left. I think Minnesota should be a clear #2 seed behind the Boilermakers, but Ohio State could play spoiler if they have Wimmers back by then. After the Gophers, I think we see some mixture of Northwestern, Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana rounding out the field. No clue who to take there.
By the way, that might have been the fastest fall from first to last place ever in terms of Michigan State's collapse. They were tied for first on April 25th, last place on May 9th (insert something about the harder they fall here).
Up Next
No, that wasn't just some unplanned pot shot at MSU fans. It's Michigan State on the schedule next in a home-and-home out-of-conference series. The Spartans fell off our conference schedule this year as one team is rotated off every two years (we missed Purdue the last two). So to honor the rivalry between the two schools, they'll meet this Tuesday and Wednesday.
I won't preview the Spartans too thoroughly as this is just a mid-week game that means nothing to either team, but I will get something out Tuesday before game time. Game one takes place in East Lansing at 3:05pm ET as their baseball stadium lacks basic necessities like lights, non-trailer concession stands, and restrooms in the press box. Wednesday's game takes place at the majesty that is Ray Fisher Stadium at the Wilpon Complex, a site with lights, pretty brick, and enough restrooms for the 2,500 fans that should be in attendance.
Baseball: Minnesota Preview
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Michigan (28-15, 9-6) |
@ |
Minnesota (20-26, 8-7) |
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Friday 6:35pm CDT, Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN |
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| Eric Katzman (4-1, 4.03 ERA) | vs | Seth Rosin (4-4, 4.43 ERA) | |||
| Stats (Minn) | Audio (Minn, $) | ||||
| Notes: Michigan is 84-84 all time, Last year: 1-2 series loss. | |||||
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Michigan |
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Minnesota |
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Saturday 2:05 CDT, Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN |
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| TBA | vs | TJ Oakes (3-3, 4.19 ERA) | |||
| Stats (Minn) | Audio | ||||
| Notes: Audio available through Friday's link ($9/month). | |||||
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Michigan |
@ |
Minnesota |
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Sunday 1:05pm CDT, Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN |
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| TBA | vs | Phil Isaksson (4-0, 3.16 ERA) | |||
| Stats (Minn) | |||||
| Notes: Isaksson is a LHP | |||||
Michigan takes its first Big Ten road trip in three weeks, traveling to Minnesota for what is going to be yet another huge series in terms of the conference standings. The Gophers had a truly rough start to the year, but they currently sit tied for third place, only a game behind Michigan. They also lead the Big Ten in ERA and third in batting during conference games. They're getting hot when it counts, and Michigan looks to cool them off.
Q&A with the Daily Gopher, weather, thoughts, and predictions after the jump:
About that WMU Game
Michigan defeated Western Michigan in a sloppy mid-week game by a score of 9-8. It came down to the last batter to secure the win, and if it weren't for Mike Dufek's two homers, including a grand slam, Michigan probably has one hell of an embarrassing loss.
The defense was particularly poor, including two errors by our catchers (one on Crank, one on Berset). Urban and Dennis also claimed an error each. This is particularly frustrating after a great weekend against Ohio State. I'm hoping this was just a fluke game – the first road game in a while at a crappy opponent. The team will need to focus much more closely going into the weekend.
In the long run, a win is a win. Midweek doesn't matter that much as the Big Ten is almost certainly a one bid league. This game, surprisingly, didn't hurt the RPI, which stays steady at #57. The only way we might finish with an at-large is if we win out and maybe lose in the conference championship, and that might even be a stretch.
Vicious Electronic Questioning
On to Minnesota. I caught up with Tom of the Daily Gopher this week to get a quick preview of the Gophers. The Q&A:
What is the storyline of the Gopher season?
This season has been inconsistent and was an extremely slow start. The loss of center fielder, likely lead off and an freshman all-American Justin Gominsky certainly has set this team back but other holes are there as well. Early in the year the Gophers went 0-3 in the Big East Challenge, but those games were close and against good competition. But following that they have done on to be swept by South Dakota State for the year (0-3), lost to North Dakota State and took 12 innings to defeat DIII St. Thomas.
The Big Ten season has been much more kind to the Gophers and they are within a game of 1st place (along with 4 other teams). A sweep has been elusive but they are in the thick of it with some key series coming up obviously with Michigan this weekend, Penn State comes to town and then at Ohio State to finish the Big Ten season.
The Gophers are now in the top 3 in both team ERA and batting average in conference. Has something finally clicked with the team?
Batting Average? I show we are sitting 8th in BA and third in ERA. Hitting has been incredibly inconsistent and there are a couple too many holes in the 2010 Gopher lineup (more on that later). I don't have the averages or splits to show improved hitting, but since the start of the Big Ten season the Gophers are averaging 7.2 runs per game after after averaging just 4.3 in their first 25 games. Over both sets of games they allowed 5.5 runs per game so the pitching/defense has remained relatively consistent and the hitting is coming around. When your lead off and #2 hitter are both hitting .285 (approximately), it becomes difficult to score runs no matter how well your 3-4-5 hitters are hitting.
Tell me about your starting rotation. Who are they and what's your opinion on each?
Our main three starters are junior Seth Rosin, freshman TJ Oakes and sophomore Phil Isaksson. Rosin is very solid and consistent. He will likely be drafted and not compete as a Gopher next year. He leads as a strikeout pitcher who rarely walks batters (just three on the season). TJ Oakes is a true freshman and has been very solid posting a 4.19 ERA and a 3-3 record. The surprise of the staff, at least for me, has been Phil Isaksson who has been very good as the Sunday starter for the Gophers. The Gophers have been 4-1 in Big Ten game threes. In his last two starts he has given up just one earned run in 13.2 innings pitched with 8 Ks.
Three walks on the season? Holy cow.
The big prospect name from Minnesota is Kvasnicka. Tell me a little bit about him.
Kvasnicka has been a stud for three years now. And his junior season has not disappointed in spite of losing some very good hitters around him like Eric Decker and Derek McCallum. Interestingly, Kvasnicka has greatly increased his walks this season. I cannot comment on how many of these have been intentional but in 2009 he earned just 14 free passes, according to the official stats on Gophersports.com he currently has worked out 36 walks in 2010 boosting his OB% to .469. And of course he is hitting the ball great as well. .357, 6 HR and 36 RBIs isn't going to earn him any All-American awards but it is very good. If Petterson and Larson were able to get on base more often you can reasonably assume his RBIs would be much higher.
I keep hearing his name as the top catcher in the league. I can't see him staying there at the next level. Perhaps more of an outfielder. Defense isn't that great, wouldn't want to waste those knees. Past Kvasnicka, who are the other names in the lineup Michigan fans should know about?
First baseman Nick O'Shea is having a season equally as impressive as Kvasnicka's. The sophomore is hitting .348 with 9 HRs and 37 RBIs. A year ago he started all 59 games and hit just .287 so this has been a dramatic improvement and is helping to solidify a lineup that struggled early in the season to get on base and score runs.
Yeah, he was a monster when he broke out last season. What's the atmosphere like at the Metrodome? I've heard grumblings that Seibert will be renovated sometime soon? Any chance for outdoor baseball returning for the Gophers?
The Twins move to Target Field has been welcomed by the Gophers with open arms. In fact DII, DIII and local high schools have loved it was well. Without having to move out for the Twins the Gophers have been able to play all of their games indoors. Now the Dome seats something like 56,000 for baseball so it is rather cavernous for Gopher games. The atmosphere is nothing special but they have not had to postpone/cancel any games this year. Looking down the road, they do not want to renovate Seibert, they want a brand new stadium and practice facility. This a much needed facility for the program. Sooner or later the Dome will go away and practices and games become a real issue for the Gophers.
Any predictions on the weekend?
Any prediction would be a 100% guess. So I'm going with a Gopher sweep as they move into the Big Ten driver's seat!
Ballsy. I disagree.
Weather
It doesn't matter. The game is indoors. The forecast is lots of Astroturf and a 20% chance of Dufek hitting the Baggie.
Thoughts
After the great baseball last weekend, I'm wondering if we don't return to the mean this week. Can Katzman, Oaks, Sinnery, or whoever else starts keep up the intensity and dominance from last week? Can they do it on the road? Both are tough questions, neither of which I have an answer for.
Speaking of the road, let's hope that Tuesday's WMU game was enough to get the road hiccups out of our system. Playing in front of the "crowds" at the Metrodome should be interesting. As Maloney put it in his WTKA interview this week, "a crowd of a few thousand can feel like a crowd of 5." It's pretty much Olympic Stadium during the Expos last few seasons in Montreal, except probably better baseball.
With our speed in the outfield, we should be good covering the grounds. It'll be interesting to see how the infield defense plays. They should have plenty of practice indoors over the long off season, but it's been a few weeks since indoor baseball.
Someone please wake up Patrick Biondi. It's now an 0-for-27 stretch with 3 walks (he scored each time). A third of his total strike outs (8 of 24) have come over that stretch. Now that classes are over, hopefully he's got time to focus on his swing. He's not alone with the downward trends either. Toth, Berset, Crank, and LaMarre are also on slides that aren't as serious, but there's still an obvious trend with each. Now is not the time to go cold. May the big gaps of the Metrodome boost everyone's double and triple totals.
On a final note, several schools have switched over to NeuLion's live stats system. I really dislike it. Live mode has way too much unnecessary movement and not enough info, often crippling the browser. Their summary version is slow and the information is poorly sorted. Minnesota is one of the few Big Ten schools to use this. They also don't have any live streaming capabilities in the Metrodome. I can't wait for Seibert Field to be renovated or otherwise for an on-campus ball park.
Predictions
Two men enter, one man leaves. I've got a particularly bad feeling about this series. Minnesota is getting hot (beating #26 Kansas State in Manhattan on Wednesday for a series split), Michigan is slumping a bit offensively and is due for a regression on the pitching side of things. The gut tells me that Michigan loses the series 1-2, with the win coming on Saturday, but that's without knowing what the starting rotation is at all. Hopefully the team will prove otherwise.
Baseball: Ohio State Recap
Filed under:
Barry Larkin wants you in the stands supporting Michigan
Michigan beat Ohio State on Friday and Sunday to secure one of the more exciting series wins in Ann Arbor in quite some times. This series saw surprises abound: a first round draft pick get scratched from the starting lineup with an injury, nearly every pitcher in this series pitched to or beyond their potential, great defense, and most importantly, the good guys coming out on top.
For full recap, follow the jump:
Game One
| Box Score | R | H | E | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | |||
| Michigan | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | x | 4 | 5 | 1 | |||
W – Katzman (4-1)… Save – Burgoon (7)
In the first surprise of the game, Eric Katzman came out as the starting pitcher for only his second weekend start of the season. His last only went 0.2 innings at Indiana, so naturally, there was some uneasiness. The top of the first inning went quickly, and then came the big story of the weekend.
During his warm up throws, OSU's ace and future first round draft pick Alex Wimmers heard a pop come from his hamstring. He had to leave the game with a potential hamstring strain, holding him out of the entire weekend. This put the Buckeyes in just a tough predicament as Michigan who was starting someone with limited success since returning from hernia surgery in the off season. They would end up throwing a lefty reliever Minium, who had been extremely sporadic.
The Buckeyes struck first in the top of the second. Katzman gave up a lead off double, and after a fly ball to move the runner to third, he would walk Stephens. With runners on the corner, Katzman made a quick move to first which would have picked Stephens off easily, but a balk was called to the confusion of almost every fan I've heard from. The game wasn't televised, so I couldn't tell you what happened, but it ended up costing Michigan a run.
That 1-0 lead wouldn't last long for the Buckeyes. Minium immediately put himself in trouble, walking the first two batters of the bottom of the second in Berset and Crank. Dufek, who was switched back into the 6 hole right before the game started, unloaded a double down the right field line to score Berset. Nick Urban would make it back-to-back doubles with one of his own just past the third baseman and down the left field line. That would bring in Crank and Dufek for Michigan's first and deciding lead of the game.
Minium was then replaced by Dan Wolosiansky, Ohio State's announced Saturday starter. Wolosiansky was lights outs out over the next 7 innings. In his 7 innings, the lone run came from a lead off walk, a well place single through the infield, and a Patrick Biondi sacrifice fly. That walk and single represented half of the total number of base runners he allowed. This was way out of character compared to a normal Wolosiansky start, but as Chris Webb of Buckeye State Baseball tells me, something about coming out of the bullpen makes Wolosiansky turn it up a notch.
Meanwhile, Katzman recovered from that balk call to throw his best start of the season. Katzman went 5.1 innings allowing just the one run on 5 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. He worked a pretty slow game, but he was just wild enough to keep the Buckeye batters, and the umpire for that matter, off balance.
Matt Gerbe took over where Eric Katzman left off, allowing just one walk and striking out one in 2.1 innings pitched. That walk was one of only two runners he would allow, the other on a throwing error by himself, both coming in the 8th inning.
So with the game on the line, Tyler Burgoon took the mound with 2 outs and two runners on. After a walk, Burgoon would strikeout OSU's right fielder DeLucia to end the bases loaded threat. In the 9th, after two quick strikeouts, Burgoon would pitch around Zach Hurley before getting a foul out by OSU's Kovanda. Michigan wins. Save to Burgoon.
Notable Stars
- Eric Katzman – 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K, Win
- The Bullpen – 3.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 4 K 2 BB, Save
- Nick Urban – 1/2, R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB, K
- Attendance – 1685, season high
- Defense – Several great plays highlighted by the most ridiculous catch by Biondi ever. Full speed to the wall, reaches around his body, crazy, caught.
Notable Goats
- 1-4 Hitters – 0/13, 2 K, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB. Ain't going to cut it.
- Umpires – The strike zone was wide for both teams. It definitely helped both pitching staffs stay in the game.
Game Two
| Box Score | R | H | E | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 1 | ||||
| Michigan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | ||||
L- Burgoon (6-2)
Great pitching again at the ball park as Michigan bumped Alan Oaks to the second starter role and Ohio State moved Rucinski up from Sunday. Oaks came into the game as inconsistent as anyone. Rucinski was battling a pair of ugly blisters on his throwing fingers with quite a bit of wrap on his fingertips. Despite both of their troubles, the pitching was again brilliant on Saturday.
Rucinski was sharp the entire game, but ran into trouble only twice. The first came in the bottom of the second after giving up a lead off single to Chris Berset. Crank, who dropped back behind Dufek in this start, would then get a one out single to put two runners on. Then came John Lorenz with a clutch single that bound up the middle. It would have loaded the bases, but Ohio State's centerfielder peaked at Berset at third instead of focusing on the slow roller right at him. The ball bounced off his glove as Stephens ran past it, easily allowing Berset to score.
Rucinski would settle in from here, giving the Buckeyes a chance to tie the game in the 4th. Oaks did his best Katzman impression, allowing a single and a walk to start the inning. After a strikeout, Oaks gave up a solid single to right to give up one run as Berset couldn't quite hold on to the ball on a tag at the plate. I thought the runner would have been safe anyway, but the umpire was ready to call out before he saw the ball float away from the plate. Oaks then struck out the next two batters he faced to record 3 Ks in the frame and strand two Buckeye batters.
Ohio State threatened again in the 7th. Oaks gave up two one out walks and was removed for Burgoon. After a strikeout for out number two, OSU's top hitter Zach Hurley laced one to right center to give Ohio State the lead 2-1. That run was charged to Oaks, who went 6.1 IP, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, walking 4 and striking out 6. Definite a serviceable start despite the 4 walks.
Down late and with 2 down in the 8th, Michigan manufactured a small rally. Toth had a two out single to a diving short stop, and after stealing, Ryan LaMarre came through with a clutch single to center. Tie game.
Burgoon would strike out the side in the top of the ninth and with two outs in the bottom half, Coley Crank reached base. I somewhat expected Garrett Stephens to pinch hit for Nick Urban with two outs, but Maloney decided to go with Nick. Nick was hitting just over .280 with little power and was hitless for the game. I would have guessed Maloney go for the power hitter and a better chance to end the game with one swing. He didn't, and Urban went popped up to the infield.
In the top of the 10th, Burgoon got two quick ground outs, but followed that up with a single to Kovanda and a RBI double for Burkhart. The Buckeyes took the lead and Michigan would go quietly in the bottom half of the inning to lose 3-2.
Notable Stars
- Defense – No errors, Biondi makes another great catch as he sprints into Urban. Lorenz plays the hot corner like a champ.
- Attendance – 2,263, a new season high
- Barry Larkin – Had his #16 jersey retired, also gave Derek Dennis a 5 minute pep talk in the pregame. Dennis played much better this weekend.
- Tyler Burgoon – despite the loss, 7 K in 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R. That'd be great in any other outing.
- Alan Oaks – 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 K. None of the hits were particularly hard, mostly singles through the infield.
Notable Goats
- Lorenz and Dennis – despite great defense and a hit a piece, each stranded 4 runners.
- Patrick Biondi – 0/5
- Umpires – Another bad strike zone night. The low and outside pitch was a strike, even if it was in the batter's box. Bad positioning in the slot. There was also a CLEAR fair ball by the Buckeyes that should have been for a double. It was called foul. There was an umpire on the third baseline where it happened. No idea what they saw.
Game Three
| Box Score | R | H | E | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 2 | |||
| Michigan | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | x | 6 | 7 | 0 | |||
W – Sinnery (4-0)… Save – Burgoon (8)
And then the Buckeyes ran out of pitching. Ohio State was forced to move up their Wednesday starter, and normal Sunday reliever Brett McKinney and he just couldn't keep up with the Michigan bats. After a quick 1-2-3 first inning, he would struggle in the 2nd. With two outs, Dufek doubled half way up the left center wall, just missing a home run due to the strong wind blowing in. Nick Urban followed that up with a opposite field homer to straight away right, keeping it low enough to hide behind the Indoor Track Building to shield the wind.
In the third, Michigan would add three more. Dennis would lead off with a single and draw the attention of McKinney to first. After 7 or so pick off attempts, including one off Dennis's helmet to allow him to move to second, Biondi would walk, setting up Anthony Toth for a single to load the bases. Ryan LaMarre would then ground up the middle to a diving second baseman who flipped to short for a RBI fielder's choice. Berset would then knock a sacrifice fly on a line drive to left. Biondi should have been out at the plate on a perfect throw, but OSU's Burkhart tried to make the tag too early, losing the ball. Crank then tomahawk chopped a ball above his eyes off the top of the brick monster down the left field line for a stand up RBI double. 5-0 Michigan and everything was cruising.
Brandon Sinnery made the start for Michigan and had his best stuff working. His downward movement on the end of his fastball were causing easy choppers sprayed around the infield. Even the run the Buckeyes managed in the 4th came on choppers that kicked up the chalk of each foul line as they ended up being a lead off single to right and double to left. Toth made a great play to his left to get an out at first, but a run would score on the play to get OSU on the board.
The second Buckeye run came in the 6th. With one out, Burkhart hit the first hard Ohio State hit out of the infield, a double to right field. After a Stephens single, Sinnery would exit for Brosnahan. Brosnahan induced an RBI (charged to Sinnery) ground out to third baseman Lorenz, and after a walk, he would get a fly out to end the inning.
Brosnahan's second inning wasn't so lucky. After a lead off walk, he would get a ground ball fielder's choice to second on another great diving play by Toth. A strikeout would be followed by a pair of walks to load the bases. Kolby Wood came in and had OSU's Stephens on the rops 0-2 before he got inside on a fastball and placed it to shallow center to score 2 runs.
That brought the score to 6-4 and things started to tense up. Kolby Wood then went on to retire the next 6 batters he faced, but to lead off the 9th, he gave up a single to Zach Hurley. So rather than facing the heart of the Buckeye order with the tying run at the plate, Enter Sandman came on to usher in Tyler Burgoon, going for his 3rd outing of the weekend.
Burgoon was a bit rough having thrown over 75 pitches in the previous two days. After a quick ground ball fielder's choice to get the lead runner on yet ANOTHER great play by Toth up the middle, Burgoon would give up two singles to make the score 6-5. After a lengthy mound conference with Rich Maloney, Tyler stayed in and got the easy double play ground out to seal the 6-5 win and 2-1 series victory. Huzzah!
Notable Stars
- Mike Dufek – 2/4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, HR.
- Nick Urban – 1/2, 2 RBI, R, HR
- Brandon Sinnery – 5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 K, 0 BB. Ground balls galore. Win.
- Kolby Wood – 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 K
- Attendance – 1,766
- Anthony Toth – His defense was tremendous this game. 1 put out, 6 assists
Notable Goats
- Bobby Brosnahan – 1.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 1 K
Thoughts
Wow, what a great series. The pitching and defense was spectacular for both teams. If you would have told me that Rucinski and Wolosiansky were going to throw like that before the weekend started, I would have predicted Michigan to be swept.
The big story line of this weekend has to be maximizing scoring opportunities. Michigan stranded only 13 men on base this weekend. As for the Buckeyes, 26. That's a huge discrepancy. The other big thing in Michigan's favor this weekend was the strikeouts. Michigan struck out 21 times this weekend (10 on Saturday) which is well below our normal 3 game average of 8.3. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes, who normally strike out 4-5 times per game, they struck out 7, 13(!), and 4. Our pitching was on.
Holy cow the defense this weekend. We've only had two weekends as clean as this. The most recent was an overmatched IPFW series. The only one against quality opponents was the Big Ten/Big East Challenge. Biondi is unworldly in center and Toth was flat out ridiculous at second. Lorenz has been perfect defensively the entire homestand. That's 8 games without an error. Not too shabby.
On offense, I'm hoping we see Maloney stick with Crank in the 5-hole and Dufek in the 6. In the stat post last week, I mentioned that I was hoping the Dufek to the 5 would be short lived as the two batters were struggling in that scenario. Maloney put them back in their Crank 5-Dufek 6 for Friday in an attempt to mix up the R-L-R batting order with the switch hitter Berset facing a lefty. That worked out great. He went back to Dufek 5- Crank 6 on Saturday and be it luck or whatever, both struggled again. Sunday saw Crank 5-Dufek 6 and Dufek went crazy with a double off the wall and a homer. I would like to see the lineup stay consistent with Crank before Dufek.
Biondi is still struggling. He's now 0/23 with 3 walks. He has managed to score on each of the three walks, which is a testament to how well he creates runs. On the other hand, those other 23 plate appearances have really cost Michigan. I'm pretty certain that without him setting the table consistently, Michigan's explosive offense just isn't going to show up.
While it's beneficial for Michigan for Wimmers to be out, it's a shame to see any one go out with injury. That said, I don't think this series win was a fluke. Ohio State's other two regular starters pitched well beyond their normal outings, and Rucinski was downright Wimmers-esque. It's good to see Michigan can take on such a good team as the rest of the conference is looking much tougher than initially suspected.
Where Michigan Stands
Coming into Sunday, all 10 teams in the Big Ten were within 2 games of each other. Michigan, Ohio State, and Northwestern sat atop the standings at 8-5, and Michigan State, Purdue, Indiana, and Minnesota were in a 4-way tie for 4th at 7-7. Everyone else was 6-8, only a game behind the 4th place teams. That is a cluster my friends.
So what has Sunday told us so far? Here's a look at the current standings:
| # | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan1 | 9 | 6 |
| Northwestern | 9 | 6 | |
| 3 | Purdue2 | 8 | 7 |
| Ohio State | 8 | 7 | |
| Minnesota | 8 | 7 | |
| 6 | Penn State3 | 7 | 8 |
| Michigan State | 7 | 8 | |
| Indiana | 7 | 8 | |
| 9 | Iowa4 | 6 | 9 |
| Illinois | 6 | 9 |
1- Michigan wins tie breaker over NU by record against teams ranked 1-6 (including ties) in standings. Michigan 6-3, NU 7-5.
2- I'm not sure what the official line is on this, so try to follow me here. I think Minnesota gets the edge for best record against the 3 teams head-to-head as they are 2-1 against Purdue. Ohio State hasn't played Minnesota yet, and they won't play Purdue this season. If this means that Purdue/OSU needs another tie breaker, Purdue has the same record against the 1-6 (including ties) in the standings, so Purdue would then get a tie breaker against common opponents with the Buckeyes (Purdue 5-4, OSU 4-5).
If the head-to-head standings don't work, then it goes to records against the 1-6 (including ties) in the standings, which means Purdue will get first as they are 8-7. Ohio State is also 8-7, but common opponents would give Purdue the edge. Minneosta is only 6-6 against the 1-6 (including ties) in the rankings, so they would follow Ohio State, which means their series win over Purdue would be greatly reduced in value.
3- Penn State definitely has an edge here as they swept Michigan State. Unfortunately, they don't play Indiana and Michigan State hasn't played Indiana yet. So again, is that enough for a tie breaker? If you go to the records versus teams ranked 1-6 (including tie) in the standings, Penn State has the lead in that with a 7-5 record against those teams. Michigan State and Indiana have an equal winning percentage (3-6 and 4-8 respectively). The two teams are also both 4-2 against common opponents, which means they go to the next tie breaker which is fewest runs allowed in conference play. Michigan State edges Indiana here by a margin of 109-111.
4- Iowa went 2-1 against Illinois. Easiest tie breaker ever.
Catch all that? No?
Fine. Just know that if the season ended today, Michigan State, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois are filling up on Rotel commercials while the rest of us are playing in the Big Ten Tournament on the BTN. Michigan would be the one seed and would face the lowest seed of the two first round winners.
Either way, there's 3 weeks left of season left and the standings are sure to mix a bit more.
Next Up
Michigan hits the road for the next few games. They'll play at Rich Maloney's alma mater on Tuesday as Michigan heads to Western Michigan. Next weekend will see Michigan head to Minnesota for what should be another huge series against the Gophers who have really caught on fire recently. After that, it's a home-and-home mid-week series with Michigan State with the first game (May 11) on the road. Michigan's next home game will be the following night (May 12).
Baseball: Ohio State Notes
Filed under:
|
Michigan (25-14, 7-5) |
vs |
Ohio State(23-13, 7-5) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 6:35pm ET, Ray Fisher Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI | |||||
| TBA | vs | Alex Wimmers (9-0, 1.61 ERA) | |||
| Stats | Audio (1290AM) | ||||
| Notes: Michigan is 157-89-1 all time, Last year: 1-2 series loss. | |||||
|
Michigan |
vs |
Ohio State |
|||
| Saturday, 6pm ET, Ray Fisher Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI | |||||
| TBA | vs | Drew Rucinski (3-2, 4.34 ERA) | |||
| Stats | Audio (1290AM) | BTN.com | |||
| Notes: Barry Larkin jersey retirement starts at 5:45p | |||||
|
Michigan |
vs |
Ohio State |
|||
| Sunday 1:05pm ET, Ray Fisher Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI | |||||
| TBA | vs | Dean Wolosiansky (3-5, 5.95 ERA) | |||
| Stats | Audio (1290AM) | BTN.com | |||
| Notes: | |||||
The Buckeyes come to Ann Arbor this weekend with the rivals tied for first place in the Big Ten. The stakes are huge. The winner is in the driver's seat for the regular season championship and a number one seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The loser could conceivably fall as far back as a tie for 7th place if the cards fall the wrong way.
As an added bonus, Michigan will be celebrating the career of Barry Larkin. His #16 jersey will be added to the walls of the Fish, where it shall remain forever retired into Michigan lore.
Final notes and thoughts after the jump:
Key Matchup
I don't think I have to remind too many of the loyal baseball followers of what happened last season. Much like Iowa last weekend, Michigan faced off in a double header to open the series and was destroyed in game one by Alex Wimmers. Wimmers threw the first 9-inning no hitter in Ohio State history, and the first against Michigan since 1982.
Wimmers is just as good this year, but behind him, Rucinski and Wolosiansky both have their weaknesses. As discussed in the VEQ, Rucinski is battling a pair of blisters on his fingers. Wolosiansky is also a high WHIP guy. Michigan must take advantage of the weak back end of the Buckeye pitching staff.
On the flip side, Michigan must pitch better than they have. Alan Oaks can't leave he rest of the bullpen hanging with a short start. We've got a talented bullpen, but not all of them are that experienced. This will be one of the better lineups we've seen in a while, and they just don't strikeout much.
Thoughts
I'm interested to see if there are any tweaks to the starting rotation or not. The game notes were unclear on who would be starting, but I'm not sure if that had more to do with them getting out earlier than normal or what. Whoever we throw on Friday has their work cut out for them. They may need to go 7+ innings and give up less than 2 runs just to keep Michigan in the game. Wimmers may have thrown 132 pitches last week, but I don't expect that to affect his game this week.
Also, on the pitching front, it'll be interesting how much Maloney plays the numbers on left handed pitchers versus left handed batters. Bob Todd is notorious for forcing his line up to hit R-L-R-L at all cost. He'll do that for as many batters as he can. Will Maloney burn up Katzman for a batter? Will we see, dare I say, All-Academic Jeff DeCarlo used for a batter? Scary thoughts there.
Derek Dennis is supposedly back for this weekend. This puts Kittle back into the lead pinch hitting role and the line up back to "normal." This is for the best in the long run. Hopefully the time off has given Dennis a chance to relax. Hopefully Barry can give him a pep talk as well.
Weather
Game One and two should be picture perfect. As far as reality though, those SSW winds should come in toward the end of the game and man, are they shaping up to be fierce. That's probably from left to right cross wind, but it may end up being straight in from left. As if Alex Wimmers needed any more help. Hopefully he's well out of the game before that happens.
The weather should be fine for the Saturday night cap. There's a system blowing through in the morning, and it should be clear by 4pm. Sunday, well, Sunday might be rough. Heavy rain is supposed to last most of the day. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to sneak a double header in somewhere, but I wouldn't be surprised if Bob Todd quashes that idea either.
Predictions
For the last four or five weeks, I've dreaded this series. The Buckeyes were finally waking up. Their pitchers were getting in stride. Their lineup finally solidified. The black hole on defense that was Hallberg is stricken to the bench. It just wasn't looking good.
Over the last week and a half, my pessimism has cut down considerably. I'm still not confident in our starting pitching at the moment, but I think I'm equally unimpressed with the OSU Saturday and Sunday starters. Even Eric Best has been a bit rough around the edges lately. That inevitable sweep I was thinking about 3 weeks ago is not the image I have in my head right now.
What I do still have stuck in my head though is an ugly loss on Friday. Alan Oaks gave me nothing to be confident about last week. Alex Wimmers is a first round draft pick. I think that match up all but seals a loss in game one, featuring no less than 9 Wimmers strikeouts.
I like the chances on Saturday. Michigan will host Larkin and a plethora of Michigan alumni. If that doesn't fire up the troops after a potential hard loss, I don't know what will. Brosnahan may have had a rough start last time out, but I think this type of game would be great for him. He's got plenty of left handed hitters to work through and the fan support should keep his emotions on track. I'll take a Michigan win, with a fairly high score (12-7 range).
Sunday is chaos. I don't think we see Burgoon start as we're almost assuredly going to need him on Saturday, or possibly even Friday. That leaves Katzman, Sinnery, or Miller as the potential starter, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see Katzman. I'm having flashbacks of Indiana already. I have to agree with Chris from the VEQ. This could easily be a 14-11 type game favoring either team.
On the other hand, Ohio State will be using Wolosiansky and McKinney, a pitcher who threw 5 innings on Wednesday (pulled with a no-hitter). I like our chances against both of them.
Dare I predict it? Michigan wins the series 2-1.
I can't believe I just did that.
Beat the Buckeyes.
