re: What do you do with Hurd moving forward?

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Little, Dutton, and Moffett all exceeded expectations this weekend.

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Little has been pitching better for a couple weeks, so it was less surprising to me than what Moffett did. Dutton did what he's done most of his career, which is to pitch well for a little while and then kind of unravel. Keeping him in for more than an inning or so has rarely ended well.

To be fair, he didn't get much help from the wind or his outfield.

Hurd not making the next step is surprising and disappointing

I say start him tonight and hope he finds something.

He's been better with a fresh inning than entering with someone on base. I don't think he's completely without value even at this point. But we're better when he's better and we need to help him get better.

Let him throw live BP... If he can do that.

Anybody else remember this from just a couple months ago? It's all mental.

Hurd 2024 All-American Team

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I say start him tonight and hope he finds something.

He's been better with a fresh inning than entering with someone on base. I don't think he's completely without value even at this point. But we're better when he's better and we need to help him get better.

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No doubt. We don't have enough pitching depth to give up on him yet. He's too good when he's good. And when he's good, he can get you more than just 3-6 outs. He clearly lacks a ton of confidence right now. And I also think he has problems repeating his delivery. Maybe those go hand-in-hand. I didn't' see him at UCLA (or high school, obviously), but a guy with that stuff and that highly thought of surely had a ton of confidence at some point in his career.

Maybe it was something with his back injury that really messed with his mechanics (being able to repeat his delivery). And maybe that is what is affecting his confidence. Chicken or egg thing, but maybe if he figures something out mechanically, that gives him confidence. Or is he has success in a lower leverage outings and gains some confidence, maybe that helps him mechanically. Not having to think so much about release point or whatever. Just get out of his head and just pitch. I don't know. But it's hard to see us getting out of a regional getting 27 outs 3 times without him getting some of them.

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What do you do with Hurd moving forward?

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Exactly what you did with him last season. Make him earn whatever role he will end up having.

I would have him pitch to Kling until one of them gets their mojo back.

Also, why does the dude who throws 97, doesn't seem to walk people this year, and has had several really nice outings lately, not get in until we're down 6 runs late on Sunday? I really don't get their reluctance to go to Moffett earlier.

And I was really encouraged with Dutton, despite him winding up giving up a 4-spot. I think he can be really effective for an inning or 2. But he's not a big guy, and his FB velocity drops from 93/94 to 90/91 and his cutter loses a little velocity (and cut) too after a certain amount of pitches/innings and he winds up missing in he zone. Which is fine. Just figure out where that line is and don't let him go past it.

But back to Hurd. There are just too many outs to get and too few to get them to completely give up on him yet, as lost as he may look right now. I think Project's idea of starting him tonight against a lesser opponent with a clean game would be a good move.

And does Javon Coleman still exist?

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I would have him pitch to Kling until one of them gets their mojo back

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Now THAT’s funny!

If we end up battling out of a losers’ bracket this postseason we will find ourselves without pitching and in need of someone to put the cape on and give us seven innings of shutdown pitching. I’m not saying Hurd will do it, but he’ll probably be the only guy left in our bullpen who COULD do it.