And then move either Wicklander/Noland to Sunday. May make saving the bullpen easier with Friday and Saturday starters going longer and throwing more strikes. I mean, the bullpen worked out pretty good this weekend with the exception that we couldn’t throw strikes on Saturday and allowed that game to get away. It was nice to have our top three relievers available today.
The way it worked out they could have thrown the kitchen sink at Texas in game 2!
That’s the bottom line. Who knows but DVH is trying to figure out the Saturday and Sunday stuff out as game are played.
I think Connor Noland just don’t have his command Saturday! Wait and see how he dies at home this weekend and then we may hear about some possible change.
Nolan is capable of throwing the ball very well but I’ll be honest with you the way Kopps threw the ball was extremely impressive. He was thought of as possibly being a starter anyway before the season.I don’t know how it’s going to work out but we’re going to have to have a reliable Saturday started because the better teams like Mississippi State and Vanderbilt and LSU will have very good Saturday starters as well as having Good Friday starters
Kopps needs to build up to the pitch count number to start. Just like Ramage who ran out of gas Saturday. While both of these guys can give you quality innings either one or them will need a little more time to be able to go 5 innings.
Noland should get another shot. I thought last weekend at home he was close to getting the W but couldn’t get the out he needed. Maybe it works out this weekend. If not I think DVH may make some changes. Wicklander has been up and down so he needs some work too! Noland and Wicklander are freshmen they need to develop and get ready to lead the pitching staff.
I’ve always thought – mainly because Van Horn told me – that Kopps would be a weekend starter. Now, he had a setback in late January that caused him to miss a bullpen or two and that meant a restart of the pitch count buildup. I believe at some point in April, Kopps will be a starter. Will it be Saturday or Sunday? Not sure.
Connor Noland will have to return to form to stay in that Saturday spot. He was out there with no command of his breaking pitches against Alabama. It was obvious in the first inning. He started the season throwing several good pitches for strikes – a fast ball, curve and slider. He is down to his fast ball now and isn’t spotting that. Maybe he’s trying too hard and over throwing.
I’ve heard Matt Hobbs talk three times about young pitchers like Connor Noland and Patrick Wicklander. It’s an adjustment to struggle. They have never struggled in anything they’ve done in baseball for their entire life. If they didn’t have command with a pitch or two, they just threw it middle of the plate. Can’t do that. SEC hitters will crush it. So then, they press. They’ll figure it out. I recall the same thing with many good freshmen pitchers. I can remember Andrew Benintendi struggling as a freshman, although he was battling back from hand surgery over the winter.
WINNER…get a chicken dinner 