Why'd LSU start Paul Skenes - WWL Article

quote:

---

So, why didn't Johnson save his ace for a weekend start? Here's what he had to say.

"He's the best pitcher in college baseball. We're now in postseason play. And felt really good about what he could do today and impact us winning the game. And he definitely did that," Johnson said. "And as he spoke of, there's some other value of him being able to do what he did today that should help the rest of the pitchers the rest of the way."

---

quote:

---

Did you consider not starting Skenes?

"I've considered everything all the time, yeah. Yeah, there was, but it was actually not a hard decision when you dig into it the way we dug into it."

Does the decision to go with Skenes indicate how much you trust him in this environment?

"Absolutely, as well as the rest of the guys on the staff for what's ahead of us."

---

quote:

---

What went into the decision to let him finish it out?

"Because we've been very good at managing that count and making a decision to pull him out of a game that I never would have ever pulled him out of last week because of what was to come this week. It was almost -- I wouldn't call it a week off in Hoover, but he had an extra day's rest this week. So it was eight days' rest. A lighter pitch count week last week. We've been very deliberate about what games he's gone into that hundred range and what games he came out before that. And the only decision was Travinski going to hit a grand slam and put us up nine.

"And with a long inning, we probably wouldn't have sent him back out there. But no way were we messing around. And Wes came to me in the eighth, started talking -- I was like, no, he's going back out. He's got the first three hitters. If we have traffic, then we'll set something else up. But I didn't really feel like there was going to be traffic based on how he finished the eighth inning after I went out to the mound."

---

quote:

---

Would you consider bringing Skenes out of the bullpen down the road?

"No. He's very clearly on, looked at this thing like he was going to be a weekend starter for us and pitch once a week and set him up, set up a good schedule to do that. And he's delivered. He's delivered as well as any pitcher I've ever seen in college baseball. And what he does to prepare and then how he executes and he did it again today."

---