Parham: Rebels run out key relievers in Tuesday loss to MSU

Jake Mangum doesn’t have another game scheduled against Ole Miss this season.

That’s the win for Ole Miss. Everything else was a loss on Tuesday.

Mississippi State walked off Ole Miss for the second straight game, using a Luke Alexander double in the ninth inning to erase a one-run deficit and win the Governor’s Cup, 7-6, over the Rebels. Ole Miss intentionally walked Mangum to put the winning run on base right before the double.

Alexander also hit the home run to give the Bulldogs the series between the two teams in Starkville. Mangum is 22-for-51 in his career against Ole Miss including a five-hit game earlier this year and he had a two-run double earlier Tuesday.

The Rebels are 32-10 overall, 22-2 in non-SEC games and now 11-1 in midweek games. Ole Miss, 10-8 in the SEC, plays LSU in Oxford Thursday to Saturday in Oxford, and that set up the other loss for the Rebels in Pearl.

With bullpen freshness and arms operating at a high level limited in recent weeks, Ole Miss trotted out three key relievers fewer than 48 hours prior to the first date with the Tigers.

Greer Holston threw 26 pitches (20 strikes) and Will Stokes tossed 20 three days after throwing more than 70 pitches against Georgia. Parker Caracci, who allowed multiple baserunners for the 11th time in his last 13 outings, threw 10 pitches in the abbreviated inning.

Quick bounce-backs haven't been the common theme for Ole Miss relievers, so it potentially adds additional stress to a strange series against a talented team that currently carries an RPI in the 50s. The three arms that pitched on Tuesday are in the group — along with Will Ethridge — most likely to eat the majority of the bullpen innings each weekend.

Ethridge seemed to be an option against MSU had the game gone past the ninth inning.

Ole Miss has a splendid non-league resume, and a neutral site rivalry game against a top 50 team doesn’t do a negative thing to its credentials. However, each SEC game is particularly precious when it comes to positioning, and it’s crucial for the Rebels to be in the best possible roster position when Thursdays and Fridays arrive.

The only thing worse for Ole Miss than the loss the way it happened would have been for extra innings to decide the game — win or lose.

The positives to this team popped through again, as Tim Rowe had three hits in place of Ryan Olenek, who didn’t travel so he could rest his shoulder, and Chase Cockrell and Michael Fitzsimmons hit back to back ninth-inning doubles to give Ole Miss a lead.

It’s a tough team. It’s a team tied for the SEC West lead, and it’s a team that has plenty of metrics on its side. But it’s also a team with a seemingly tired bullpen, and Tuesday didn’t do many favors.

The pitch counts weren’t high, but there’s a certain toll taken simply by warming up. It’s a short rest period, and the games at Swayze Field will decide the success of the week. Not the one at Trustmark Park.

Ole Miss lost a game. But whether or not any of the bullpen arms lost any effectiveness for LSU is the much bigger deal.