LOUISVILLE: GAME 2

Miami drops the series to Louisville losing in extra innings 6-5. Make this the 6th straight loss and the number keeps growing having lost in the last 12 of 13 games. It’s the same storyline seen so often this season, Miami comes from behind only to lose it in the final innings due to pitching or lack of hitting. Tonight, Miami trailing by 3 gets the go-ahead runs, but cannot hold onto the lead losing in extra innings. Going into the 7th, Miami is scoreless trailing by three, coming up with 5 runs to take a two-run lead only to have the wiped clean with a two-out HR to tie the score and lose in the 10th. Tonight’s loss was some bad decision-making by JD regarding relief pitching and pinch hitters. JD is old-school thinking to the point of being overly obsessed with matching pitchers with hitters and vice versa. This obsolescent theory is why our record is what it is. For our team, it just does not work. Our players just don’t fit into what the stats say to go with.

Scoreless on both sides through 4 innings. Rafe Schlesinger coming off a bad last week outing was a mixed bag through the initial innings getting his usual strikeouts but giving up more hits than you would like to see. The Cardinals were not able to capitalize with RISP (3-15) leaving 7 on base through the first four innings. Rafe’s 5 strikeouts bailed him out in three of the four innings and the DP in the first was his saving grace. While the Cardinals were not able to score, they drove the pitch count to 72 by the end of the 4th.

For Miami through four, starter Evan Webster made quick work of the Cane hitters throwing half the number of pitches and only allowing one hit. In 3 of the 4 innings, it was 3up/3down. The second was Miami’s chance to get onto the board. Daniel Cuvet led off the inning and hit a fly to shallow right. First, right, and second converge on the ball, and from the way it looked no one called anyone off and fell between the three. The ruling was E3 so apparently the 1B touched the ball. It was the RF ball and he should have called everyone off. The bottom line is Cuvet on second no-outs. Scanlon and Torres each record an out with no advancement of the runner. Edgardo returning from his suspension singles to right. Daniel pushing the envelope tries for home but the play at the plate isn’t close. Right to home with the ball waiting for Daniel for the easy out. Miami would have to wait until the 5th for their next opportunity.

Rafe being saved via his strikeouts through 4 fell victim in the 5th with the Louisville bats voided themselves of striking out. They opened the 5th avoiding their 8th strike out with Rafe issuing his first full count walk. Back-to-back singles and the Cardinals are on the board 1-0.

Miami almost responded to get back the run in the bottom of the inning but fell short. Edgardo is hit with two outs followed by Carrier’s double down the RF line advancing Edgardo to third. That was Miami’s only second hit. With two runners in scoring position, JD Urso strikes out. It was Miami’s third of the game.

With the pitch count rising and Rafe tiring, the Cardinals open the 6th with a no-doubt homer to left. An additional run after a two-out walk, and a stolen base ended Rafe’s night at 104 pitches with an RBI single. 

In his infamous wisdom, JD brings Walters to finish the inning. What he was thinking is beyond me.  Too early to bring in your best reliever and not save him for the 8th when you might need a real closer. Being three down, JD thought he had no other choice. He could have brought in Chestnutt, who had been warming up, and saved Walters for later. Brian needed two pitches to end the 6th.

Canes trailing by 3, Jack Scanlon works a 10-pitch at bat to open the 5th with a 404′ orbiting shot to the parking garage ending the day for starter Webster. Until the HR blast he held the Cane sluggers to just three hits. With his departure that opened the floodgates to an additional 4 runs. Following the HR Jason Torres records his first hit since April 6 against Duke. Edgardo walks and Carrier singles to load the bases. Urso hits a chopper to third, play is to home and ump calls Torres safe saying the catcher missed touching the plate. Challenged and video replay verified the call. Bases still loaded Jacoby doubles down the LF line scoring two and Costello records the first out of the inning with a SF to left giving the Canes its first lead of the game 5-3. Jacoby advances to 3rd on a WP but is left stranded with Dorian striking out and Daniel flying out to right. 

Miami is in uncharted water having a 2-run lead with 6 outs to go. No lead is safe even with Brian still on the mound. One pitch away to end the inning after striking out the first two batters to start the 8th. Grounder to short which JD let the ball play him rather than charging it and was unable to make the throw to first in time. That opened the door and JT Benson closed it with a two-run homer to tie the score at 5. The next batter strikes out but the damage is done. 

JD brings in Nick Robert to pitch the 9th and manages to survive after giving up a leadoff single. Cardiac Canes after blowing the lead in the 8th had one last chance in regulation to perform a bit of Mark Light Magic. JD decides again to go with the matchup and pinch hit Carrier, a 291 hitter, who is 2-2 today to go with Jake Kulikowski, a 217 hitter, cold off the bench. Jake grounds out 4-3. Rather than PH Urso who is without a hit and hovering at the Mendoza Line and go with either Gaby Gutierrez or Antonio Jimenez, JD sticks with Urso who grounds out. Long is hit by pitch and Costello with the winning run on first and the opportunity to win it all, strikes out sending it to extra innings.

Robert is still in, Cardinals open with a lead-off double advancing to third on a perfect SAC. Chris Scinta bought in, again matchup, and again failure. RBI single followed with a bunt single. It is back to the BP and the person they should have brought in, Ben Chestnutt, to stop the bleeding does. JD is going to have to learn is go with the best and forget this matchup crap. It does not work with this team.

Miami battled back with Dorian and Daniel opening singles, no outs, and Jack Scanlon with a HR already today and the tying run on second. Jack hits a wicked drive that the 1B makes a great grab of the ball robbing a sure double, tagging Cuvet for the DP. This left it to Torres with Dorian on second. With one hit tonight ending his draught, Jason picks up where he left off with his 4th strikeout of the night. Miami loses in 10, 6-5.

For 9 of the 10 innings, the lackluster offense only had two spurts of energy coming in the 7th inning resulting in the 5 runs and the other in the 10 faltered by a great catch at first to end the rally and the game. Costello and Urso the only two in the starting lineup without a hit Jacoby Long 2-4 (double,2RBIs) and Lorenzo Carrier 2-3 (double) were the only two with multiple hits. Jack Scanlon had tonight’s only HR.

Pitching continues to be our Achilles Heel. The limited BP with not enough holding power to maintain a 2-run lead late in the game contributed to tonight’s loss. Along with bad decisions on JD’s part on who to bring in working with analytics once again and once again analytics proving wrong. Although Walters gave up the 2 run homer to tie the game, he should never have been put into that position and should have been saved to close out the game. Robert has been failing to do just that and it is time that JD looks to replace him as the closer. I would’ve gone with Chestnutt instead of Robert in replacing Walters holding back Robert as a last resort rather than how JD worked it.

With Pitt and ND winning tonight that puts us one game ahead of Pitt and two ahead of ND. Boston who lost to ND is one game ahead of us. Four teams fighting to get into the Tournament and only two will move forward. Tomorrow Miami is fighting off another sweep and trying to ward off not being the bottom two in the Conference. First pitch 2PM.