Game 1 – 3 p.m. (ESPN 2/3): Mississippi State Bulldogs (48-18) vs. No. 3 Oregon State Beavers (50-11)
The rotation for this series is Moore, Boyd, Wetzler.
Miss St stats:
- 38th in batting (OSU 59th)
- 31st in runs (OSU 59th)
- 33rd in OBP (OSU 53rd)
- 76th SLG (OSU 79th)
- 13th ERA (OSU 2nd)
- 66th Fielding % (OSU 47th)
On paper MSU wins most catetgories, and the pitching advantage is not great for the first time this post-season. Beavs will have to score 4 or 5 to win.
Beav fans should get a kick out of this.
Go Beavs! Beat those Rebels…..er..Bulldogs!
Go BEAVS!!
Based on watching OSU's post-season games on TV, and some googling on Mississippi State, here are a few random thoughts regarding today's game against MSU:
MSU's starter today, senior Kendall Graveman, appears to be a solid, experienced pitcher, with good control, but he also seems quite hittable. Graveman throws a sinking fastball in the high-80's, a good changeup, and a nothing-special curveball. He's a ground ball pitcher, not a strikeout pitcher. Graveman was chosen in the 36th round last year, and in the 8th round this year by the Blue Jays (the same team that chose Matt Boyd in the 6th round). http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2013/6/7/4407488/blue-jays-pick-kendall-graveman-rhp-in-the-8-round-pick-235
Against Graveman, OSU's hitters need to be patient, work the count, and wait for their pitch. Graveman can't blow the ball past anyone, and doesn't have a sharp-breaking curveball as an "out" pitch — good news for Conforto and Davis, who got fooled repeatedly by sharp-breaking curveballs or sliders during the past few games.
Getting to Graveman early may be key to OSU's success against Mississippi State today. Mississippi State has a very strong bullpen, and a lights-out closer (Jonathan Holder) who strikes out about 40% of the batters he faces. If Mississippi State is leading after seven innings, MSU is very tough to beat. http://djournal.com/view/full_story/22875021/article-RICK-CLEVELAND–Give-credit-for-Bulldogs%E2%80%99-success-to-the-bullpen
Go Beavs!
Hope the humidity doesn't negate our pitching advantage….
Eggers tweeted around 10am pct: "Saw OSU southpaw Max Englebreckt as he was walking out for BP. Asked how he was feeling. "Good." Can you pitch today? "Yessir!"
Looks like there may be a possible mid game rain delay.
Not a bad first half of an inning.
Didn't start out well with Conforto playing the first ball put in play into a double but Moore did what he usually does and got the job done after that.
Conforto with the 1 out RBI double drives in Tyler Smith. 1-0 Beavers.
RBI single for Hayes with 2 down. 2-0 Beavers after an inning
Loving the updates GB90! I'm watching the graduation ceremony and can't get the watchespn app to work.
2-1 Beavers and Mississippi State has bases loaded and nobody out
3-2 Mississippi State after an inning and a half. Conforto throws a runner out at the plate to end the inning.
GoBeavs, you see any Miss St this year?
Seems this is going to be a really tough game need 5+ to win.
Today against Mississippi State will be tough. Their bats are hot and they have one of the best bullpens against the nation. I expected this to be OSU's toughest opponent in this side of the bracket.
In the nation, not against*
3-2 Bulldogs after 3 1/2 innings.
Triple Keyes, 3-3
4-3 beavs
Thanks for updates fellas. I’m at my 5 year old’s t ball game so I can’t watch.
O State Straight Ballin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82RPgXJrTZk
4-3 still (6th), we're into the lauded m.st bullpen
Didnt realize Kenny Powers plays 1st base for Miss. St. He could come in to pitch of needed. La Flama Blanca
You’re fuckin out!
4-3 Beavers after 6 innings.
Moore cruising.
Boyd is warming up, which means the plan is to use Wetzler on Monday and hopefully win the first 2 games and start Boyd on Friday. I like this decision.
Why do you like that?
I’d rather pitch Boyd in game 2 and use Moore on Friday. Moore is pitching better right now, and Boyd is a better matchup (experience, gutty) vs Louisville or Indiana. Wetlzer isn’t tested and I don’t love him in that game. But, I am not high on Wetlzer so there’s that. I just think you throw your best guys.
Beavs have to win this game, too. Say Boyd comes in and then they lose–that F’s everything up. I’m hoping Boyd was just doing some routine bullpen work to keep his arm in shape.
Boyd is their most reliable lefty reliever at this point with Engelbrekt out, wouldn’t throwing Boyd here give the Beavers the best chance for OSU to win this game? I disagree Wetzler hasn’t been tested. He’s pitched in big games. Pitched in the SR at Vandy in 2011 and threw in the game that got the Beavers to Omaha and he’s been pitching really well. Has had 1 bad game in 2 months basically. I’m okay with Wetzler going on Monday and they’ll pretty much have a full bullpen behind him. I don’t have a problem with this move.
This pitching change is a huge gamble. Hope this works…
Boyd in.
Hate this.
Boyd gets drilled with a line drive. Renfro safe at first.
1st and 2nd, 1 out.
I don’t really mind Boyd pitching right now because he can still go Friday and I have no problem with Wetzler going for game 2. My biggest issue is Casey’s apparent complete lack of faith in our bullpen. It’s going to be near impossible to win the CWS without using the bullpen at all.
Boyd blows the lead.
5-4 M st.
Jake Rodriguez not coming through with a runner on third and 1 out really stings now.
Every guy on Miss St is like 6’5 250lbs
Beavs look like midgets
Joey Jansen, really?
Blown away, no surprise.
5-4 9th inning
Not really anybody else for Casey to go to. Tough spot. This game feels over.
Isn’t Matthews still around? He seems like a better option.
I’d rather just have Gordon hit. He stinks but he can at least work a walk.
And the story of the post season continues…Beavs leaving too many men on base.
Boyd better ice that thing and get ready for Monday. You don’t want Wetzler in an elimination game.
Didn’t do so bad in last Monday’s elimination game.
Leadoff single.
Bet casey gives up an out with only 3 left.
Foul out bunting.
Jesus. Casey is killing this team today.
Casey: if game tied, bunt there. If down a run, don’t give up an out with only 3 left. They’d just walk Conforto anyway! Come on.
Conforto walks, some life.
1st and 2nd, 1 out. Davis up.
Game over.
Feel like this loss is on Casey. Should have left Moore in to face Renfro–got him out 3 times and has gutted outs like that while gassed all season. Not only blew the game but screwed the Beavs the rest of this series if Boyd can’t go Monday. Bad pinch hitter, and bad bunt with 2 strikes and only 3 outs left in the 9th.
Bad coaching. Also, how was that not a homerun… damn
TD Ameritrade is a graveyard for hitters. They’re gonna have to bring in the fences at some point. It’s a joke of a park. I’ve seen dozens of balls crushed like that and stay in there. Really unfair to hitters.
The ball had too low an arc to be a HR. Only a guy like Conforto can hit a ball that low and get it out.
Hey, this is just clever Beaver strategy. You blow the first game of a series, to get energized and focussed. ….I hope.
I think Casey knows his team better than we do. Bad at bats by Peterson and Davis . Davis looked bad at the plate all day.
Seems to me the Beavs let an inordinate number of first pitch strikes go by.
Been an issue for a while with Oregon State teams. Hard to hit when you’re always behind in the count. Hitters need to be more aggressive early in the count.
Thx – I’m glad to know my perception of that wasn’t out of whack.
That was a Rileyesque coaching performance. Hope Casey isn’t biking to Goss, too.
I think Casey knows it was not his best performance, but we all have to take a deep breath and hope they can rebound.
Season is over. It’s been a good run, but characterized late in the season by complete failure at the plate with RISP.
My view from 10,000 miles away and not even seeing the game. This was a bad loss by the Beavs. You give up an unearned run in a one run game and the guys you rely on laid a turd. Davis hits into a DP with 2 on and then fans with two on. Boyd gives up a two out two run double.
I don’t know about the wisdom of bringing in Boyd to face a bunch of right handed batters. At some point we’re going to HAVE to use the pen and need Boyd to start.
I agree with Angry that it was a bad deal to give up an out in the 9th if it was a true sac attempt but Peterson has been so good all season at beating that bunt out and it keeps you out of the DP. Most other parks we wouldn’t be talking about it as it sounds like Hayes hit the ball hard enough to get out.
I’m not a fan of first pitch swinging just to be an aggressive hitter. If it’s not the pitch you want make him throw another. The more he throws the better chance he makes a mistake.
And Jansen to PH? I know Day hasn’t looked to good at the plate lately but at least let him win the game for you because you know Jansen isn’t going to. Chances are Day wouldn’t hit into a DP either, he’d crush it or strike out.
I still think the Beavs can win this thing but their chances took a dip going to Boyd and losing.
“I’m not a fan of first pitch swinging just to be an aggressive hitter. If it’s not the pitch you want make him throw another.”
I’m not a fan of first pitch swinging just to be aggressive, either, but I do wonder if the scouting report on the Beavs doesn’t suggest that they rarely swing at first pitches,so you might as well try to throw a strike. Then if the next pitch is fouled off . . .
Not a big fan of some of Casey’s decisions today, but I think the main problem was lack of clutch hitting.
For the game, Beavs were 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position (.154 average).
If you want to focus on one guy who needs to play better, a good choice might be Dylan Davis, OSU’s cleanup hitter, who was 0 for 5 on the day, including grounding into a DP with runners at 1st and 2d, and then (in the 9th) striking out with runners on 1st and 2d. For good measure, Davis also committed an error in RF that cost the Beavs a run.
Louisville on Monday. Here’s hoping that Conforto stays hot, and that Dylan Davis gets his act together by then.
So what do you do with a “Refuse to Lose”? tee shirt today. Relegate to the bottom drawer or double down? JB
Same thing you do with your Civil War “Beat Oregon” t-shirt
Add the word “twice” to the shirt in Sharpie and wear it at least one more time.
Anyone need an extra large Alamo Bowl shirt. My wife bought it for me and I can’t even look at it.
Any post-game Casey comments?
Hope he didn’t try to blame the players…
These are comments I got out of the Statesman Journal.
Casey: “We’re not going away. If somebody beats us, they’re gonna hopefully have to rip the uni right off our back”
About Boyd: “We had the right guy in the game, Mo got us to where we should be. We should have finished, but we didn’t”
“We talk about our character all the time, You can have strong will, big character and get beat. It’s the game of baseball.”
On the game winning hit by Rea, Casey said the call from the bench was a fastball in. “And he threw a change away. I asked for vanilla and he gave me chocolate.”
Boyd said if he threw the change-up in the right spot it would have induced a pop-up.
O State Straight Ballin music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PInelxAIW-E
I almost like it better watching at 1.5X speed
Hunt reports coin flip results, Beavs home team against L’ville.
Have they announced a start time yet?
Pretty sure it’s 12:05
Beavs will be facing a tough pitcher tomorrow: Louisville’s Jeff Thompson, a 6’6″ right-hander who was named the top pitcher in the Big East this season, and was a third round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers. He’s a power pitcher who has allowed only 10 base runners and two runs in 13 innings in this year’s NCAA tournament, with tournament opponents hitting only .130 against him.
http://www.wdrb.com/story/22604931/bozich-louisvilles-thompson-prefers-silence-then-silencing-bats
All the Beavs — not just Conforto — will need to bring their “A” game.
Thompson is obviously dialed in. No speaking on game days, great stats. We’re gonna have to play great defense and have more timely hits for a change.
Hope Wetzler can pitch a good game. He’s a competitor, too.
http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2013/06/college_world_series_ben_wetzl.html
Go Beavers!
again, the heavy money is on OSU–lay 275 to win 100…which I find amazingly high…obvious key to the game is me not watching in live time, or better RISP production.
never seen this guy so chipper…
http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2013/06/college_world_series_beavers_c.html
Casey has seemed a bit more mellow for much of this season, was commented upon here a few weeks back. If you haven’t seen it, Jason Quick wrote recently about his idea of the reasons why.
http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2013/06/college_world_series_pat_casey_2.html