(Photo Credit: @LSUbaseball on X)
By Hunt Palmer
In two weeks, the results will hold more weight than the play. Right now, the process deserves a little bit more scrutiny.
LSU swept a week in Texas, and that’s a major positive. On the flip side, the starting rotation wobbled a little bit, and halfway through the Frisco College Classic things were about a foot away from being very bleak.
If Josh Pearson and Steven Milam don’t execute a relay to perfection, LSU loses to Kansas State, and Nebraska is up 5-0 in Game 2.
Let’s be clear, the beautiful relay, clutch 10th inning offense, and response to a 5-0 deficit were huge positives. However, they don’t totally erase the issues that put LSU in that position initially.
On a positive, which was massively positive, LSU’s offense was exceptional for the vast majority of the four games in Texas. The Tigers scored 38 runs in four games, and it came from various players in different ways. That’s the way Jay Johnson wants to play offense.
Ultimately, it was the Tiger offense that carried the week. That’s a significant positive considering the talent LSU boasts on the mound. The polls will come out just after publishing, and LSU will likely be the No. 1 team in America.
Still, there are some kinks the Tigers need to iron out over the next two weeks. And I put that timeframe on things because Missouri is coming to The Box for the first SEC weekend. That’s quite literally the softest SEC opener possible. LSU deserves that after last year’s five-week gauntlet.
STARTING STRUGGLES
There were positives from the Tiger rotation, but there were also issues.
For the third straight week, Kade Anderson hit something off a wall at the end of his outing. On Opening Day, it was purely a velocity dip. Week 2, he lost his command in the sixth and gave up a pair of hits and a pair of walks. Friday in Frisco, Anderson left a couple of breaking balls over the heart of the plate to the No. 3 and No. 4 hitters in the Wildcat lineup, and both were hit out of the ballpark.
Prior to that, Anderson dominated. He struck out 10 of the first 20 batters he faced. The stuff is not the issue. He’s just got to hold it longer. That comes with experience. Anderson has never pitched a college season in the rotation. The next two outings are going to be huge for him. He’ll be expected to go 100 pitches against North Alabama on Friday. The last 20 will be under a microscope.
Anthony Eyanson got rocked for three innings. The first three Cornhuskers got hits, and Nebraska had five runs on five hits through three innings. He wasn’t fooling anyone, and that’s his M.O. as a pitcher.
To Eyanson’s credit, he made an adjustment to go to the slider more often as opposed to the curveball, and he started to get outs. He retired nine of the last 10 he faced with five strikeouts to allow the Tiger offense to feast on Nebraska pitching.
I know most are eying Eyanson as a candidate to lose his starting job to William Schmidt or Conner Ware. While acknowledging that possibility, I’m not there yet. Eyanson is a proven outs eater at the college level. I don’t expect him to dominate many opponents, but I do think he’s a solid Saturday option to go five or six innings while allowing three or so runs. Five runs won’t get it done. LSU’s offense bailed him out this weekend. I can’t expect that will be a weekly thing.
I’d look for more sliders from Eyanson in the final pre-conference tune up. That pitch misses more bats than the looping curveball.
And Chase Shores just didn’t have his best command on Sunday. Only 57 of his 89 pitches were strikes. He did a good job of getting ahead. Seventeen of his 22 first pitches were strikes, but he just didn’t consistently pound the strike zone like he needs to. Six of the seven hits he allowed were singles, and he was pitching with a huge lead for much of his start. Still, it wasn’t his best outing. The positive was that he got up to 89 pitches and is on pace to be let loose for the SEC opener in two weeks.
OFFENSIVE ONSLOUGHT
LSU’s offense was spectacular over the weekend. The Tigers did a little bit of everything.
Over the last two games, LSU scored 23 runs on 30 hits. In those two games, LSU was 17-for-33 (.515) with two outs in the inning and 14-for-33 (.424) with runners in scoring position.
LSU hit two homers on Sunday and had 12 extra base hits over the final two games. Michael Braswell executed two perfect sacrifice bunts as well. Both were paid off by Chris Stanfield RBI groundouts.
Friday was the least impressive offensive day for the Tigers, and they scored eight runs on 11 hits in 10 innings. Without question, Friday’s biggest development was Daniel Dickinson protecting Jared Jones.
Kansas State walked Jones with Derek Curiel on third and one out in the second. Dickinson laid down a perfect safety squeeze to plate a run.
In a tie game in the seventh, they walked Jones intentionally with one on and one out. Dickinson responded with a three-run shot over the wall in right center. He drove in six runs on Friday. Again, we know Dickinson can rake mid-tier college pitching. What remains to be seen is how he handles the future pros in the SEC. If the Dickinson we’ve seen through three weeks shows up in SEC play, LSU is a dangerous squad. He has six extra-base hits and 21 RBIs in 11 games.
Speaking of hot starts, Curiel is leading LSU in hits with 17, runs with 13 and is second in walks behind Jones. He’s a perfect fit for the leadoff spot in front of Jones. If Dickinson can slot in behind Jones, you’ve got the top third of the order pegged.
MIDDLE MEN
One of my concerns entering the season was defense in the middle of the field. Milam moving to short was a question mark, and I didn’t know what to expect from Dickinson at second. Well, I’m an idiot.
Those two guys have not only been steady, they’ve been spectacular. The flip play over the middle on Saturday will draw all the attention, but they’ve made every play up to this point. Dickinson saved the game on Saturday with a diving stab to his glove side with the winning run streaking for home. Milam cut down another winning run moments earlier with a relay throw.
I’ve been so impressed with Milam’s ability to move fluidly up and to his left to make plays. His hands are pillow soft, and his arm has been plenty good enough. He unleashed it twice on double plays over the weekend when he took the ball to second himself.
Stanfield is a star in center. He’s running everything down.
Catcher is still a bit of a question mark. Cade Arrambide has struggled to keep the ball in front of him. He allowed a runner to score from second base on Saturday when he tried to backhand short hop breaking ball, instead of blocking it. On Monday, he allowed three straight wild pitches to move a runner home from first.
Those free bases are a concern, and LSU needs to clean them up.
But the middle of the field defense has been very good, thus far. That’s a big plus for the Tigers.
WALK WORRIES
LSU issued too many walks Friday and Sunday. That’s been a real strength for the Tigers through three weeks, but it was an issue over the weekend. Kansas State drew seven walks on Friday, and Sam Houston drew 10 on Sunday. Shores issued three, and Kade Woods issued two. Then Mavrick Rizy walked a pair in the rain in the ninth.
I still think LSU will throw a ton of strikes this year, but 17 walks over two games in a weekend is going to merit discussion.
