1VaBlue1

June 20th, 2019 at 1:31 PM ^

Why at 2???  Why can't it start later so those of us who have jobs can still watch it?  ARRGGHHHH!!!!

Guess I'll just have to leave work earlier than I would normally leave early on a Friday...

Alton

June 20th, 2019 at 1:31 PM ^

* 2:00 EDT

Bakich probably won't announce the pitcher until tomorrow, but it pretty much has to be either Kauffmann (11-6, 2.66 ERA) or Criswell (7-1, 2.68 ERA).

Kauffmann would get the priority as the #1 starter, but he just threw 7 innings against Texas Tech on Saturday.  You might see Criswell get the start with Kauffmann ready to come on at any time in relief if needed.  On the other hand, Kauffmann has been very good over these last few weeks so why not stick with him?

Micah Dallas (7-1, 3.60 ERA) will almost certainly be on the mound for Texas Tech--he pitched the first 4 innings against Michigan on Saturday, too.

Reggie Dunlop

June 20th, 2019 at 1:58 PM ^

I've seen this sentiment a lot. You're obviously right that Kauffmann pitched 7 innings and they got a good look at him, but Criswell closed that game, threw 2 innings and faced all 9 batters. Does that make a difference? I dunno. Just pointing out that Criswell's not a secret weapon we're unveiling for the first time.

tlo2485

June 20th, 2019 at 1:34 PM ^

Head coach Tim Tadlock said after Wednesday’s game that freshman Micah Dallas will get the start Friday, just six days after he allowed four runs on six hits in just three innings against the Maize and Blue to open the CWS.  Hopefully he will take a page from Bryce Bonnin and Taylor Floyd, who both gave the Red Raiders a fantastic effort on the mound to keep the Texas Tech athletic department’s magical spring of 2019 going.

-Texas Tech Blog

Jack Hammer

June 20th, 2019 at 2:00 PM ^

Took day off work for 11am west coast start time.  Convinced others to play hooky.  Firing up grill at noon.  Hoping for big afternoon celebration.

mtzlblk

June 20th, 2019 at 3:08 PM ^

Question for those with more baseball knowledge, would starting pitcher decision be at all something you could do game time based on who the other team starts? It seems micah is already clear starter for TT.

Not sure if we are home or away for tomorrow, so perhaps moot if we are in the field first, but in general if you're at bat first, wouldn't you take into account who the other team starts? 

cm2010

June 20th, 2019 at 3:17 PM ^

I'm not sure why that would factor into the decision. The starting pitchers don't face each other at all; they face the opposing hitters. Also, you generally want to give your own pitcher notice that he is the starter so he has enough time to get himself ready physically and mentally.

Alton

June 20th, 2019 at 3:24 PM ^

Both teams write down their official starting lineups and give them to the umpire about 10 minutes before the game.  The umpire then hands each team a duplicate of their opponent's lineup card.  So neither team knows the other's lineup until they are both official.  This never comes up in real life, though; teams will always announce their lineup well in advance of the game.

Michigan will be the home team tomorrow.

mtzlblk

June 20th, 2019 at 3:39 PM ^

Makes sense thanks for the info. 

It still does seem like it could have an impact, though very minor. 

In response to the replay above yours, I know pitchers go against batters and not each other, but if the opponent goes with their 2nd or 3rd best pitcher out of the gate, you might match with your own 2-3 pitcher because you think you can out-bat them. 

Hypothetically, going into a series against an opponent with one stellar pitcher and 2-5 not so great, who you put opposite that stellar pitcher would be something to think about if you think you're very unlikely to get many hits/runs at all. You might opt to roll the dice on your second best pitcher and preserve your best to try and lock down a win in the next game. 

Obviously all very secondary to who is rested/ready, etc. 

Sambojangles

June 20th, 2019 at 3:30 PM ^

I believe the starting pitcher has to be announced before the lineups are set (at least that's what I've always seen in MLB), so it's not like you could wait to see if you have a favorable matchup for one pitcher over the other. 

I read an interesting article once that I sadly cannot find (buried under a ton of Brian Wilson/Dallas Keuchel articles on Google) about a pitcher "beard." Basically, you replace your starter early in the game with a pitcher who has a platoon advantage against the opponent. Removing a beard is a metaphor for changing pitchers, I guess. Say you're playing a team with a bunch of good LHB, who the opposing manager put in his lineup against your RHP. Well, you take your RH starter out at the beginning of the game and replace him with a LHP to actually pitch. It's a crazy strategy and burns what is presumably a good starter for the game, so it's application is limited. Kaufmann and Criswell are both RHP to begin with so it wouldn't work, but interesting to think about doing with Henry and Kaufmann. 

Sione For Prez

June 20th, 2019 at 4:06 PM ^

It takes too long to warm up. Most starting pitchers have a full warmup routine they do that takes over an hour to complete. At this level teams know the starting pitchers far enough in advance that if they wanted to tweak their lineups they would do it far before first pitch. 

Also, just like QB, a lot of pitching is mental. You wouldn't want to be told 5 minutes before kickoff you were the starting QB. By now the team knows who is getting the ball tomorrow even if they haven't announced it publicly. 

Stevedez

June 20th, 2019 at 3:49 PM ^

This is where living in Europe has its advantages.  It will be 8 PM here. Ordering delivery and sitting down to watch it after my son's swim lesson. 

I will leave it up to mom to put him to bed, but normally swim lessons knock him out quickly!

M and M Boys

June 20th, 2019 at 4:01 PM ^

For those of you who have superstitiously been following my pre-game posts since the tourney began, here goes:

 

KEY TO M WINNING:

1) M score First!

2) M catch the ball!

3) M score Last!

4) M WINS!!!

GO BLUE!

Naked Bootlegger

June 20th, 2019 at 4:08 PM ^

Nobody can stop me streaming from this at work.   NOBODY.

Baseball is actually a sport I can put on in the background and accomplish work, so I should be at least marginally productive.  I may actually opt for a radio broadcast.  

Mi Sooner

June 20th, 2019 at 4:22 PM ^

If I were at work, I could watch it w/ESPN, but I am doing a community service project all day in Detroit.  So I’m screwed.  I will sneak peeks here to follow as best as I can.

if I get the grilling job, then I might be done by 2, which is about the same as the end of the food shift.

so there’s a chance...

Jordan2323

June 20th, 2019 at 7:10 PM ^

Can Tommy Henry not pitch again this week? Everyone talked about Kauffmann and Criswell in this post but no Henry. Is he the pitcher in case we lose?

MoCarrBo

June 20th, 2019 at 9:10 PM ^

Guy in my office is a TT grad who went to watch them on sat when we beat them. He said Omaha was swamped with Michigan fans like 10-1 everyone else.

 

 

MaineGoBlue

June 20th, 2019 at 11:02 PM ^

That is completely and utterly false.  I was there, it was by no means dominated by Michigan fans, maybe the fact that every other team is a shade of red made it difficult for him to tell the others apart.  I was actually quite disappointed in the turnout and through we were the least represented. Arkansas, MissSt and FSU were much more visible

MaineGoBlue

June 21st, 2019 at 7:50 AM ^

Yes, everyone complains about our bullpen, myself included, but fact of the matter is each team might have 1-2 good arms out of the pen, except Vandy and UCLA.  This format is awesome for a team like ours, to go 2-0 with deep starts sheltered us from our bullpen. Criswell got the ball at the end of game 1 and was the only one who warmed up in game 2, I expect the same today if the outcome is anywhere near in doubt.

ADF

June 21st, 2019 at 11:55 AM ^

Atlanta area MGoPeople -- where does one go to watch games at or near Emory? I'm here for the summer and need to find some maize and blue compatriots.