We should start Cerantola on Wednesday..

[57stratdawg]

Everyone wants this to be a bullpen game, why not give the guy with the great stuff a chance against a quality opponent?

If we lose, it’s not a huge deal. MacLeod is lined up on Thursday either way.

 

[ronpolk]

We just need to win at least 1 in my opinion. I wanna play enough to get Macleod and Bednar their normal start.

 

[Mobile Bay]

That's what I would do. But pull them early on pitch count.

 

[MSUDC11]

I too am on team Cerentola for Wednesday. Totally inconsequential game, maybe he stinks it up again, maybe he has his Zac Houston moment. Low risk, high potential reward.

MacLeod should start on Thursday regardless. I’ll take our chances with him on the mound, we went 8-2 in his starts in conference play. Then that hopefully gets you to Bednar getting a start on Friday or Saturday. Anything beyond that is gravy.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

If Cerantola has a Zac Houston moment on Wednesday I'll be all wool and 2 yards wide.

 

[Go Budaw]

Everyone wants this to be a bullpen game, why not give the guy with the great stuff a chance against a quality opponent?

If we lose, it’s not a huge deal. MacLeod is lined up on Thursday either way.

Say you start Cerantola, and he’s absolutely lights out for 6 innings. What’s the next move with him? Can you legitimately start him in a do-or-die game in a regional / super regional based off just that one outing? I guess he could be the ace-in-the-hole guy if you get to Game 4 or 5 in a regional, and all the reliable options are burned. Maybe a guy you can throw on a short leash against the 4-seed (kinda like we did with Ginn a few years ago). But I think I’d still be pretty nervous about games 2 and 3 with him out there.

 

[PineGroveBully]

1914588[/URL]]If Cerantola has a Zac Houston moment on Wednesday I'll be all wool and 2 yards wide.

That would be sweet and I could totally see that scenario, BUT I think Cerantola’s stuff is much filthier and would be the MLB equivalent pulling of a trade for one of the better arms in the league for a sack of taters, and not the long ball variety.

I still look back and be disgusted that we went 0-2 at home in that super with Arizona without our 2-3rd hottest arms not throwing a pitch as we were saving him for game 3. Still one of the biggest mistakes on JC’s resume to me is not using him to ensure there WOULD be a game 3.

 

[PineGroveBully]

But I think I’d still be pretty nervous about games 2 and 3 with him out there.

I don’t disagree, but say no part of your scenario about him being lights out comes to fruition. Would you feel better going into those same games 2 and 3 with the players we currently have in those same roles?

 

[patdog]

This is exactly why you don't start Cerantola. At this point, you're not going to trust him with the ball in game 4 or 5 of a regional anyway. You start one of the guys you will start in those games if it comes to that on Wednesday.

 

[Go Budaw]

I don’t disagree, but say no part of your scenario about him being lights out comes to fruition. Would you feel better going into those same games 2 and 3 with the players we currently have in those same roles?

Yes, absolutely. With exception of maybe Fristoe (who probably wouldn’t be a G2 or G3 starter anyway), I’m good with any of our existing guys. And at gun point if I needed one guy to get 3 outs in a key inning, I’m probably still taking Fristoe over Cerantola.

To be clear I’m fine with getting Cerantola some action in Hoover just to get that data point, but I’m not sure that it should be Priority #1 based on how the year has gone. If we get some of our regular arms some action in the first game and start 1-0, I think Game 2 makes sense to get him some innings.

 

[MSUDC11]

That would be sweet and I could totally see that scenario, BUT I think Cerantola’s stuff is much filthier and would be the MLB equivalent pulling of a trade for one of the better arms in the league for a sack of taters, and not the long ball variety.

I still look back and be disgusted that we went 0-2 at home in that super with Arizona without our 2-3rd hottest arms not throwing a pitch as we were saving him for game 3. Still one of the biggest mistakes on JC’s resume to me is not using him to ensure there WOULD be a game 3.

Don’t disagree with you, if I recall from being at the ballpark, we had Houston warming up in the pen during the final inning. So if it had gone one more inning then Zac would’ve come in. Now you can certainly argue it should’ve happened sooner. But it was a little fluky that Rigby, Humphreys, and Blake Smith all struggled on the same night. All three were usually reliable.

 

[thekimmer]

Very intriguing scenario.....

Everyone wants this to be a bullpen game, why not give the guy with the great stuff a chance against a quality opponent?

If we lose, it’s not a huge deal. MacLeod is lined up on Thursday either way.

Fristoe is going to be a good pitcher for us eventually but right now, he is not a guy I want starting because we cannot spot teams 2 or 3 runs in the post season and hope we can come back. That is what he is right now. In fact, as of late he has become what Cerantola was at the beginning of the season. He throws hard but struggles mightily with control. So who is the 3rd starter. We have a guy in Harding who can do the heavy lifting but he does not do well starting because when he does teams can load up with righties and that diminishes his effectiveness. He needs to come in out of the pen. So what we need is a hard throwing right hander who can start and give us a couple of good innings. Why not give Cerantola another start and see what he can do? The only question is, even if EC can get a decent outing, can you trust him to do that the next time and the next because there is no margin for error in the post season.

 

[o_Hot Rock]

If State needs Cerantola in the post season then they have gotten deep into the bullpen which can happen when you least expect it for lots of various reasons.

He is still working but there is nothing like real game reps and it could help him be ready if needed. I would hope that he gets at least an inning or so Wednesday but:

State needs a legit 3rd starter, Fristoe may have hit that freshman wall and has not had a good outing in awhile. Houston Harding may be best suited to come out of the pen after a hard throwing righty. I don't think Cerantola won't be your 3rd starter even with a good outing but he could be the difference in a game at some point for sure.

Bottom line: I will trust Coach to put out there what he needs to see most myself and go with it.

 

[missouridawg]

If State needs Cerantola in the post season then they have gotten deep into the bullpen which can happen when you least expect it for lots of various reasons.

Maybe you haven't see Fristoe this past month? Not much better than Cerantola was during his run of starts. Harding seems like a capable fill in... but Harding's one start in that role also sucked ***.

I, too, hope we don't need Cerantola. But damn, if we get lucky and he gets it just in time for postseason... what a blessing.

 

[Phil Wenneck.sixpack]

I'm all for it. I'd rather start him and lose this game than

sit around wondering what might have been. This is the perfect time to see if he can put it together. Plus Fristoe hasn't been a bit better.

 

[Drebin]

Somebody's gotta pitch, and I'd definitely want to go with the one who has the biggest upside.

 

[57stratdawg]

I'd feel better about starting Cerantola coming off a good showing in Hoover than Fristoe. Fristoe's WHIP against SEC teams is around 2.00 and his ERA is over 7.5. That's brutal.

Harding is piggybacking off both.

 

[Drebin]

Maybe you haven't see Fristoe this past month? Not much better than Cerantola was during his run of starts. Harding seems like a capable fill in... but Harding's one start in that role also sucked ***.

I, too, hope we don't need Cerantola. But damn, if we get lucky and he gets it just in time for postseason... what a blessing.

I really think Harding is more effective in LOOGY situations. He's really good against lefties. Someone else said it, but when he starts, the other team stacks their lineup with righties and he struggles a little more.

 

[Ralph Cramden]

Seems like to me if they thought his stuff was nasty enough to start a game we would have at least seen him come in a pitch more relief. If they don't trust him to do that they probly don't see any point in starting him. Has he came in and pitched in a game I wasn't following and smoked some strikes ? I don't recall that but maybe I missed a game. Be a lot nastier if most of his pitches hit the strike zone. At least 3 out of 6

 

[wsjmsu75]

I really think Harding is more effective in LOOGY situations. He's really good against lefties. Someone else said it, but when he starts, the other team stacks their lineup with righties and he struggles a little more.

For the unenlightened, please explain what a "LOOGY situation" is. Thanks.

 

[Drebin]

For the unenlightened, please explain what a "LOOGY situation" is. Thanks.

LOOGY is "lefty, one out guy". You see a lot of lefties that are used situationally against lefties. Those guys are called LOOGYs.

I don't think Harding should be limited to facing lefties. His stuff plays when he's on. But he seems to be better against lefties.


Goat, hurry up and downvote this one, too. I don't want you to miss one.

 

[messageboardsuperhero]

Brandon Smith should start Wednesday and in game 1 of our regional, assuming we get Southern as our four seed.

 

[wsjmsu75]

Brandon Smith should start Wednesday and in game 1 of our regional, assuming we get Southern as our four seed.

Sounds like a good option to consider.

 

[thekimmer]

Everyone wants this to be a bullpen game, why not give the guy with the great stuff a chance against a quality opponent?

If we lose, it’s not a huge deal. MacLeod is lined up on Thursday either way.

The NCAA post season is just a couple of 4 team tournaments followed by best of 3 series. If you win every game you would need to use just 3 starters and your #3 guy would only have to start twice. However you could need as many as 5 starters to win a four team format and that #3 guy is crucial to keep you out of that scenario.

I really don't see us getting through such a meat grinder with just needing 3 starters and if so we are going to need Cerantola. For that reason I think he needs some significant time in the SECT whether he is going to be the #3 guy or not. In fact, while we should and will play to win, our priority in the SECT should be to fine tune our NCAAT line up and get guys ready for the real post season. Winning it would just be gravy.

 

[Quincy A. Wagstaff]

Save Bednar for Saturday no matter what.

I would consider the following. No idea if our coaches would ever do this.

if we win Wednesday:
Wednesday-?
Thursday-MacLeod
Friday-? (if necessary)
Saturday-Bednar
Sunday-Fristoe/Harding

if we lose Wednesday
Wednesday-?
Thursday-?
Friday-MacLeod
Saturday-Bednar
Sunday-Fristoe/Harding

Basically, save Bednar for Saturday no matter what. If we win Wednesday and a win Thursday gets us to Saturday, go ahead and throw MacLeod. If we lose Wednesday, save MacLeod for Friday.

Priorities:

1. Fresh arms for Regional
2. Reps for those who need it
3. Win the SEC Tournament

This would keep our best arms fresh and on normal rest. It would give our pitchers that need the work more reps early. It would potentially set us up for a win on Sunday.

I think it could possibly strike the balance between an early exit OR win the whole damn thing. IMO the worst case is playing five games and losing on Sunday.* And the rationale is getting our guys on a normal schedule before the Regional AND giving Bednar an extra day of rest after throwing over 100 pitches for the first time all season (112).
---
ETA:
*-This made me curious. We all know how often the SECT champ doesn't make it out of a Regional (4 times last 10 seasons). The same is true for SECT runner-up: 4 times in last 10 seasons they failed to win a Regional.