Auburn returned the favor from the day before and routed Ole Miss on Friday, evening the series and setting up a rubber game at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The 19-5 Tiger victory was effectively decided after Auburn scored four in the third and three in the fourth. Ole Miss dropped its third game in four tries and are 1-2 since assuming the No. 1 spot in multiple top 25s on Monday.
That the Rebels lost isn’t reason for stress or angst. Frankly, even that it was a blowout and the most runs Ole Miss has allowed in an SEC game since Alabama in 2009 isn’t reason to write and read a bunch of words about danger potentially ahead. That happens in baseball, as do bad stretches and cold streaks.
Even the 11 walks by Ole Miss pitchers are an anomaly for the most part.
At some point Ole Miss will get Kevin Graham, arguably its best hitter, back from injury, and Calvin Harris will soon return from a midsection strain — two absences that have removed productivity and depth from a seemingly deep lineup.
It’s vey possible Ole Miss wins the decider on Saturday. Road series wins are a job well done, and the Rebels’ schedule is quite manageable the first half of SEC play. The results aren’t really an issue to this point.
It’s how the results are happening that is at least making me raise an eyebrow while waiting for a better version of Ole Miss to show up. The Rebels look fine when you squint a little, but the play has to improve for Ole Miss to be in the needed position once the postseason arrives.
That’s the thing. Ole Miss is being graded on a curve. The postseason dictates the success of the season — as much as any season in recent memory — and the goal for 56 games is to host a regional and optimally be a top-eight seed. The schedule is a once-in-a-decade gift as far as league play, and it seems that most of the SEC has as many or more flaws than expected.
The offense was bad on Friday, flailing at offspeed pitches in the middle innings and having only three hits while the game was competitive. It’s a string of that, taking out Thursday’ onslaught, as Ole Miss scored a run on Tuesday against Southeastern Louisiana and only had 12 total hits in 13 innings against Oral Roberts on Sunday.
I think the offense will be fine. It’ll get healthy. It’s deep enough. That won’t be the reason if Ole Miss fails this season unless the point is that it couldn’t pick up all the other pieces when they faltered. Basically, unless it’s just asked to do too much.
But the other parts of Ole Miss’ game have to improve. Even hidden in wins, the defense has been shoddy, and there have been miscues not ruled errors that are still ripe for giving extra bases and extra outs. The Rebels move past aggressive to foolhardy at times on the bases. It’s a good thing to force the issue. It’s a bad thing to attempt low-percentage running plays that won’t work if routine throws and catches are executed.
The Rebels have 21 errors in 18 games defensively and have run themselves out of early innings the past two nights.
Offensive barrages and some excellent bullpen work at times have masked what’s been fairly pedestrian starting pitching. Through the 13 weekend games to date, Ole Miss starters are averaging four innings per appearance with only one of those 13 lasting longer than five innings — John Gaddis’ excellent seven innings versus UCF.
There can be an asterisk next to Derek Diamond’s Oral Roberts outing, as he was cruising through four innings but was pulled because of a short-rest schedule the next week. But, even with that, on average, the bullpen has to get 15 outs each game.
Diamond threw two scoreless innings on Friday before a nine-pitch walk seemed to shake him in the third. It put two on and one out, and three runs eventually came around. Auburn had 10 two-strike foul balls through four innings.
Six of the 13 three-game series starts have lasted fewer than four innings, which means even more from the relievers, a group that has potential and talent but roles aren’t clearly defined beyond closer Brandon Johnson.
Of the five pitchers with the most bullpen innings this season, four of them are newcomers with junior college transfer Dylan DeLucia and freshmen Hunter Elliott, Mason Nichols and Riley Maddox. That influx has been needed and provides some upside, but it also has to factor in the transition speed bumps that are typical for players coming into the SEC for the first time.
Bianco in his preseason press conference spoke of how newcomers, even the really talented ones with great careers, struggle with that first season “where you can get your nose bloodied a little bit in the SEC,” Bianco said. “And do you survive and does that experience of getting beaten up every once in a while, does that make you better. I think the great ones, that does make you better. I think some guys aren't strong enough to get through that.”
It’s possible these freshmen get through it and are excellent on the other side, but it’s unreasonable to expect no growing pains in the process. And with so many outs and so many innings required right now, that’s a high bar to continually cross.
Jack Washburn has a 1.59 ERA in 17 innings mostly as a weekday starter, but that role could evolve into relief innings or as a weekend starter. Mitch Murrell, Drew McDaniel, Wes Burton and Jackson Kimbrell all threw on Friday — returners vying for consistent niches in the bullpen. McDaniel is also a starter option, but Jack Dougherty will make his second straight game-three start tomorrow.
Ole Miss threw six pitchers on Friday, and all but one allowed more runs than innings pitched. Murrell with one run in one inning was the exception. Diamond gave up five in 3.1 innings, Nichols three in 1.2, Burton and Kimbrell each walked the only two batters they faced and all four of those came around to score, and McDaniel finished things up with six runs in two innings.
Friday’s laugher of a loss is just one of 31 SEC games counting the Governor’s Cup. The weekend can be a success with a win Saturday, and margin of defeat isn’t a stat for the selection committee.
But for that committee in late May to see a resume worthy of elite placement in the NCAA Tournament bracket, the Rebels have to clean things up, figure things out and have a more consistent identity that matches their capabilities -- and, frankly, the expectations.
