re: I'm confused at the strategy at the beginning of the game...

I really dont think decisions mattered at all yesterday it wasnt LSU's day their pitcher was masterful.

Now Friday.. Was one of the dumbest games I have seen CPM ever coach. You dont bunt your DH! You definitly dont bunt him 2x! What is the purpose of that? CPM is probably the only coach ever to ask Gaudet to lay down a bunt and he asked him to do it twice. After the first one resulted in a double play he asked him to do it again! Now that was just plain stupid.

Bringing in a frosh pitcher in that game who has hardly any experience was also questionable and the use of Cotton for one batter that was in a bunt situation? WTF was up with that? Friday's game was the worst I have seen him coach. But I cant fault him for yesterday. Yea he should have bunted Landry.. Maybe he chose not to because he wasnt our DH and has speed

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I think this is becoming an annual thing. I have to come in here every year around this time and explain why sac bunting early in the game IS ONE OF THE STUPIDEST THINGS YOU CAN DO IN BASEBALL MATHEMATICALLY.

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Especially with a lineup full of .300+ hitters out of the SEC.

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Even I can understand it when its broken down like that.

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I knew you could once I put it in plain, simple terms.

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So why did he try to bunt Gaudet 2 times on Friday?

He has no speed so teams can easily throw to second first and work for the double play. And he is apparently pathetic at bunting.

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Maybe betting that UCI wouldn't expect our least likely bunting candidate and be unprepared to defend it. And certainly not expect us to do it twice.

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actually you have this turned around. See, you think teams should bunt early in the games to try to score 1-2 runs. That's bad baseball. Terrible baseball actually, and it's proven to be a strategy that hurts teams. But you think it's the only way to go because it's the way it's always been done and you've never thought outside the box on it.

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you kidding me right ? We are not facing Mississippi State here. This guy had 2.8 ERA. You knew going into the game that the total of runs scored in the game would not reach double digits. You have your 6-7-8 hitters coming to the plate. Gibbs is on second, it's either going to take a ball hit to the gap or TWO hits to score him from second. So you expect your 6-7-8-9 hitters to be able to get 2 hits off a guy whose ERA is under 3?

Is that outside the box enough for you.

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MrWiseGuy

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go with it brah, you've prob played more ball than this 3520 cat

yea no doubt.

People that argue baseball with LfcSU3520.

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you kidding me right ? We are not facing Mississippi State here. This guy had 2.8 ERA. You knew going into the game that the total of runs scored in the game would not reach double digits. You have your 6-7-8 hitters coming to the plate. Gibbs is on second, it's either going to take a ball hit to the gap or TWO hits to score him from second. So you expect your 6-7-8-9 hitters to be able to get 2 hits off a guy whose ERA is under 3?

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Bibona had a 2.10 ERA and both teams reached double digits. A low ERA doesn't mean that you should start sacrificing outs to move a runner in scoring position up to 3rd. Further, our bullpen futility (even with Ross getting through 6.2 against UCI) indicates that we need sustained run scoring.

Bauer allows a season batting average of .246 with a WHIP of 1.25, every batter in the lineup except for Gaudet hits at about a .310 clip. Figure that the pitcher's stats are on the whole against weaker competition than LSU, and that LSU's team stats are against weaker pitching than this guy.

You're extremely unlikely to hit into a DP with the lone runner on 2nd. A base hit is likely going to be deep enough to score Gibbs from second anyway, and given the way we sac bunt (particularly in the bottom of the order) you're about as likely to get the lead runner tagged out at 3rd as you are by swinging away. A ground ball to the right side is probably going to advance the runner anyway. Most importantly, you don't have a good idea of how many total runs you'll need to produce to outscore the opponent or send the game into extra innings. I don't recall how many outs we had at that point, but with 0 outs you're just limiting your scoring potential for the inning for marginal benefit and with 1 out the bunt makes absolutely no sense with no sac fly possibility.