For the first time in this 2016 season, Ole Miss had a weekend that did not go its way— and I mean, it really did not go its way.
South Carolina used three great outings from its weekend rotation to punish the Rebel bats.
Ole Miss also had six errors on the weekend, and the Gamecocks took full advantage of that. It was the first time Ole Miss had been swept since 2014 at Alabama, and the first time it has been swept at home since Vanderbilt in 2013.
“The truth of the matter is that we were not very good this weekend in all phases,” Ole Miss’ head coach Mike Bianco said. “Everybody’s to blame, including the coaches.”
What went wrong: Well, it would be easy to sit here and say everything, and that might not be inaccurate, but let’s start with the pitching. Ole Miss did not have a starter get out of the fifth inning all weekend. South Carolina scored five runs in the first inning combined on the weekend and scored 10 of its 18 runs on the weekend in the first three innings.
The Gamecocks took control of each game early and their pitching did not let up after that. South Carolina got 6.2 innings of one-run ball from ace Clarke Schmidt on Thursday, an eight-inning, four-hit performance from Braden Webb on Friday, and then six innings of shutout baseball from Adam Hill on Saturday. Ole Miss was just 23-101 (.228 from the plate on the weekend, and the lone game that it recorded double-digit hits, it also stranded 11 men on the base paths.
“They got all the big hits. I’m saying that as a compliment, not as an excuse. We didn’t get any big hits. We got a lot of good hits, but we needed the big hit to get us back in the game,” Bianco said after Thursday’s loss, and it really summed up the weekend quite well.
Ole Miss just could not get the big hit.
Pitching MVP: Wyatt Short
It was a tough weekend for Ole Miss’ pitching as a whole, but Short was one bright spot. In an uncharacteristically early appearance. Short, the Ole Miss closer, pitched 5.2 innings and allowed just one hit in relief of Andy Pagnozzi in game three. Pagnozzi was starting in place of the usual game-three starter Sean Johnson, who Bianco said needed rest as he is still recovering from Tommy John surgery a year ago.
“Really the thing was to give Sean a break,” Bianco said after Saturday’s loss. “Sean has pitched well, and competed so so well for us, but really his stuff has deteriorated.”
Many thought when Ole Miss went TBA on its third starter before the series, that it was a performance issue, and a door might be open to the job, and Short’s performance definitely makes him an option.
“I am here to do whatever the team needs me to do,” Short said. “If he wants me to start, then I’ll start. If he wants me to stay in the back of the bullpen, then I’ll stay in the back of the bullpen. It’s all up to coach B.”
Though it might seem like a good idea, it’s not quite time to shake things up that much. Bianco said he expects Johnson to return next weekend at Mississippi State, and Short is a lynchpin on the back end of a Rebel bullpen that has been dominant to start the year. Moving him would shake things up, and that’s not something Bianco would like to do, at least for the near future.
Offensive MVP: Henri Lartigue
Let’s be honest: Ole Miss did not do enough at the plate all weekend to warrant any kind of offensive award— but junior catcher Henri Lartigue went 4-4 on Friday night and 5-12 on the weekend, which is noteworthy. Overall, the Rebel offense was stifled by a dominant South Carolina pitching staff. Ole Miss stranded 23 runners on the weekend and only gathered 12 combined. It was easily the worst offensive showing of the season.
Analysis:
Let’s not mince words here; this weekend was bad in all facets. Ole Miss did not pitch well, hit well or field well (six errors in the last two games).
At the same time, do not reach for the panic button just yet. South Carolina is probably the hottest team in baseball. The team has won 13 in a row since losing back-to-back games to Clemson, and is now 6-0 in the SEC. Getting a sweep is incredibly difficult to do, and getting two in a row, with the second coming on the road against a top ten team, is even more remarkable. At a certain point, you just have to tip your cap to them.
That’s not to say there are not issues. If Ole Miss wants any shot of contending, it’s going to have to have its starters go more than four innings. The Rebels cannot tax their bullpen that heavily all year and expect to have success.
Ole Miss also needs to field better, as it had three errors in each of the last two games. You will not win games in the SEC doing that.
As far as the rotation is concerned, let’s not blow the whole thing up just yet. Brady Bramlett had the worst start of his career, Chad Smith fell victim to some errors, and it was Pagnozzi’s first career SEC start.
Bianco made it sound like Johnson will be back on the hill in game three next weekend, so for now, he needs to get healthy to provide a better picture of what the Rebels have in their rotation.
If it does not work out, there are options. As mentioned earlier, Short has not started a game since high school, but was adamant on Saturday saying he can do it if called upon.
Pagnozzi was good in his first two starts and really just had one bad inning on Saturday. Will Stokes, one of last year’s Sunday starters, is still in the bullpen too. There are options, but not necessarily ones that need to be exercised yet.
When it comes down to it, Ole Miss ran into a really hot team at a bad time. Sure, there are issues, but this team took two of three from Louisville a month ago and started 20-2, so don’t get lost in the storm.
Ole Miss returns to action on at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against Memphis at Autozone Park.
– Brian Scott Rippee
