Vanderbilt will throw Sonny Gray (11-3, 2.01 ERA), Grayson Garvin (13-1, 2.37) and Taylor Hill (5-1, 2.84) at the Beavers this weekend. The Beavers will throw…Sam Gaviglio…either Friday or Saturday, depending how his arm feels. That's all we know right now, with the biggest series a few days away. This is the downside of Gaviglio starting Saturday's game and throwing 136 pitches.
Man, the Josh Osich charade couldn't have come crashing down at a worse time. Bite my tongue or go on an Osich diatribe? Hmm. *Bites hard*
At this point, I think we all agree Casey went way too long with Osich [in the rotation], but he has also pitched Schultz just enough where everyone has confidence he can step in and keep us in one of these games. We'll probably see the same strategy as last week, where Osich starts but is on a short leash.
Can they get away with it for one more weekend?
Really tough call. The Beavs play best as scrappy underdogs. All the pressure is on Vanderbilt. Beavs have beaten the #1 and #3 draft picks. Yada yada. From what I saw last weekend, I thought this game would come down to something nobody's been discussing: umpiring. Anyone watch the Vandy series last weekend? They got every borderline call. However, after doing some research, I found out last weekend's crew chief will be in Gainsville on Friday. Whew. Still, it made me want to look into these guys' allegiances:
Crew Chief, Mark Ditsworth: He is currently on the staffs of the Big Ten, Big East, Atlantic Ten and Mid-American Conferences.
Chris Coskey: not much information, but he runs an umpiring school in Missouri.
Philip Benson: As of 2009, worked the Pac-10. Cannot find any updated information.
Daniel Collins: ACC umpire.
I know it's beyond lame to preemptively blame loses that haven't yet happened on umpires. Trust me, I get it. But they were so bad last weekend it has left that strong an impression in my mind. Even with different guys, I can't shake the idea that something's amiss in Nashville.
Prediction: This is impossible without knowing our rotation, but I'll give it a shot. Beavs play well, but lose both games. Beaver fans will be left pulling out their hair (do 70 year old dudes have hair?) and cursing off umpires. Angry bloggers will be left writing petitions to the NCAA.
Game 1: 4-2, Vandy
Game 2: 6-2, Vandy
If the men in blue don't cold deck the boys in orange, I think this series goes three games and then all bets are off.