After Winning Every Series We’ve played this season, we’re again at the 50/50 precipice, again facing a good team, but this time Pallette’s gone, Boldens out, and Zeb is a recently unproven maybe. We used Kopps last eve. He’s been shown and may not be at his strongest. NCS is a really good hitting team. Our ace has been used. Franklin’s been sick, a couple other bats are struggling at the top of the order. We blew a two run lead yesterday before we threw bp. We are ripe for the taking. Can we find one more strange way to win?
With Kopps starting, we should not fall behind at the start of the game. If Kopps can pitch a complete game at his current level of play, we will win. If he is off today, we will have a very hard time winning. If he is in control of the game, we should have enough cushion that Wicklander can finish the game even if Kopps tires in the 8th or 9th inning.
We should hit the their guy he has a 4.97 ERA and has given up 12 Hrs which 2 came early against LT last week and put them behind 4-0.
Teams have hit him hard
ND.5 IP 8 hits 4 runs
VT 6 IP 9 hits 5 runs
WF closet to us in the ACC with 91 HRs 1.2 IP 5 hits 8 runs
FS 3 IP 5 hit 4 runs
LT 6 IP 6 hits 5 runs.
He’s has had some rough outings as you can see but means nothing today bc it baseball and our offense can be absolutely Awesome as we saw Friday against their Ace or awful as we saw yesterday letting a guy with 3.97 ERA retire 16 in a row.
We should be able to hit and score off this guy but we will see.
So much for “not changing the approach to what has been successful for us all season.”
I’d guess the plan for NCS batters will be to drive up his pitch count as quickly as possible. That’d mean they’d likely lay off those swing-and-miss pitches just off the plate. It’s those pitches that make Kopps so devastating.
I’m also not sure their batters would be as desperate early in the game. Desperate batters usually get themselves out (late in games).
Nevertheless … gotta assume DVH knows how best to employ his unicorn.