There are 31 regular season games that count that count more than others and Ole Miss got off to a nice start with a 13-6 win over Auburn on Thursday, breaking a two-game skid of losses to Oral Roberts and Southeastern Louisiana.
Ole Miss is 8-3 in its last 11 against Auburn. The forecast is dicey on Friday in eastern Alabama. Should the 6 pm start not happen tomorrow, Saturday would be two 7-inning games.
It was 4-4 in the second inning and seemed destined for a ridiculous back-and-forth night, but Ole Miss steadied things on the mound and piled on in the middle innings.
Auburn was bad defensively and came unglued as it got away from the Tigers, but Ole Miss kept pressure on during that part of the game and had much better at-bats compared to the previous three games. Ole Miss’ lack of break in the lineup seemed to stress Auburn pitchers. They tried to stay out of the middle of the zone, and that led to command issues and leaving pitches in hittable spots. Ole Miss didn’t let Auburn settled in, and then the Tigers had plenty of self-inflicted harm.
John Gaddis gave up seven hits and four runs in 3.2 innings for his first SEC action. Gaddis threw 52 of 79 pitches for strikes with six strikeouts and two walks. The issue was four extra base hits including three doubles. Gaddis doesn’t walk many, and that’s handy, but his miss is typically up and over the middle of the plate. I’d like to see him do a better job locating in and out, even on misses. Missing up is who he is, but missing up and in or out is far different than middle up. I’ve been consistent that I think he fits better on Saturdays in the rotation, but no matter the day, command on misses will dictate outings. Also, he needs to go deeper in games. With his rhythm and the way he throws strikes, Gaddis can save the bullpen on day one.
I liked how Gaddis got through the third and was pretty sharp in the fourth. He’s showing toughness and things aren’t unraveling. It wasn’t a great night for him at all, but there are things I like.
Jacob Gonzalez led off for the first time this season and reached base four times including two home runs. Maybe it’s just coincidence and me seeing things, but he seems to be more comfortable high up in the other. I sense more freedom in his at-bats when he’s hitting first or second. He also walked and was hit by a pitch. The average is still low, but I like the approach. He’s a stud. He’s going to hit and will be fine.
Dylan DeLucia’s results have been all over the place this season, but he was important tonight and looked similar to his stellar outing against UCF. He got 11 outs including his first four that were important in a close game before the Rebels scored six in the sixth. DeLucia stranded an inherited runner in the fourth and then got a strikeout and a double play to erase a leadoff runner an inning later. The breaking ball was really good, and he does a good job of pitching with emotion but not letting it cause him to overthrow. He’s not fully developed but the pieces are all there. He saved the bullpen and kept things calm until Ole Miss broke away.
Josh Mallitz has gotten two appearances this week, the stuff is mostly good. The fastball flattens at times and he can leave the breaking ball up, but he can also have some of the more elite offerings on the time. Ole Miss needs to keep working to develop him, not give up to him. Even that mop-up ninth inning was valuable to work through a situation.
Reagan Burford had a double and a home run. He’s hitting .366 on the season and has settled in at third base for the most part. Ole Miss made the right move bringing him back.
Auburn is TBA tomorrow because of a blister issue with its normal day two starter. Butch Thompson seems to have talented but unproven options and Ole Miss caused AU to use Carson Skipper tonight. The Rebels are in better shape than Auburn as far as the bullpens.
Kemp Alderman had an 11-pitch at-bat before reaching base in the ninth inning. That wouldn’t have happened a year ago. He’s really matured at the plate and is on his way to bring a complete hitter. I’m impressed with the work he’s put in.
The blowout made this a moot point tonight, but the baserunning gaffes and poor defense have to be cleaned up. Ole Miss is going to lose games because of those things. There’s aggression that’s smart and then there are low-percentage risks that destroy innings. The latter happens too often. And Ole Miss doesn’t have to be spectacular defensively, but the routine play is bundled relatively routinely.
The win sets Derek Diamond up well for tomorrow. Instead of putting extra pressure on him to even the series, he should pitch loose and be able to bring some confidence into the game after his nice short start last week. Getting him settled into SEC play is a thing to watch these first few weeks. Ole Miss’ starter options don’t have a magic button. It’s about piecing things together the best way possible.
Auburn was 5-for-24 with runners on and 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Ole Miss wiggles out of a lot of trouble.
Ole Miss is 8-3 in its last 11 against Auburn. The forecast is dicey on Friday in eastern Alabama. Should the 6 pm start not happen tomorrow, Saturday would be two 7-inning games.
It was 4-4 in the second inning and seemed destined for a ridiculous back-and-forth night, but Ole Miss steadied things on the mound and piled on in the middle innings.
Auburn was bad defensively and came unglued as it got away from the Tigers, but Ole Miss kept pressure on during that part of the game and had much better at-bats compared to the previous three games. Ole Miss’ lack of break in the lineup seemed to stress Auburn pitchers. They tried to stay out of the middle of the zone, and that led to command issues and leaving pitches in hittable spots. Ole Miss didn’t let Auburn settled in, and then the Tigers had plenty of self-inflicted harm.
John Gaddis gave up seven hits and four runs in 3.2 innings for his first SEC action. Gaddis threw 52 of 79 pitches for strikes with six strikeouts and two walks. The issue was four extra base hits including three doubles. Gaddis doesn’t walk many, and that’s handy, but his miss is typically up and over the middle of the plate. I’d like to see him do a better job locating in and out, even on misses. Missing up is who he is, but missing up and in or out is far different than middle up. I’ve been consistent that I think he fits better on Saturdays in the rotation, but no matter the day, command on misses will dictate outings. Also, he needs to go deeper in games. With his rhythm and the way he throws strikes, Gaddis can save the bullpen on day one.
I liked how Gaddis got through the third and was pretty sharp in the fourth. He’s showing toughness and things aren’t unraveling. It wasn’t a great night for him at all, but there are things I like.
Jacob Gonzalez led off for the first time this season and reached base four times including two home runs. Maybe it’s just coincidence and me seeing things, but he seems to be more comfortable high up in the other. I sense more freedom in his at-bats when he’s hitting first or second. He also walked and was hit by a pitch. The average is still low, but I like the approach. He’s a stud. He’s going to hit and will be fine.
Dylan DeLucia’s results have been all over the place this season, but he was important tonight and looked similar to his stellar outing against UCF. He got 11 outs including his first four that were important in a close game before the Rebels scored six in the sixth. DeLucia stranded an inherited runner in the fourth and then got a strikeout and a double play to erase a leadoff runner an inning later. The breaking ball was really good, and he does a good job of pitching with emotion but not letting it cause him to overthrow. He’s not fully developed but the pieces are all there. He saved the bullpen and kept things calm until Ole Miss broke away.
Josh Mallitz has gotten two appearances this week, the stuff is mostly good. The fastball flattens at times and he can leave the breaking ball up, but he can also have some of the more elite offerings on the time. Ole Miss needs to keep working to develop him, not give up to him. Even that mop-up ninth inning was valuable to work through a situation.
Reagan Burford had a double and a home run. He’s hitting .366 on the season and has settled in at third base for the most part. Ole Miss made the right move bringing him back.
Auburn is TBA tomorrow because of a blister issue with its normal day two starter. Butch Thompson seems to have talented but unproven options and Ole Miss caused AU to use Carson Skipper tonight. The Rebels are in better shape than Auburn as far as the bullpens.
Kemp Alderman had an 11-pitch at-bat before reaching base in the ninth inning. That wouldn’t have happened a year ago. He’s really matured at the plate and is on his way to bring a complete hitter. I’m impressed with the work he’s put in.
The blowout made this a moot point tonight, but the baserunning gaffes and poor defense have to be cleaned up. Ole Miss is going to lose games because of those things. There’s aggression that’s smart and then there are low-percentage risks that destroy innings. The latter happens too often. And Ole Miss doesn’t have to be spectacular defensively, but the routine play is bundled relatively routinely.
The win sets Derek Diamond up well for tomorrow. Instead of putting extra pressure on him to even the series, he should pitch loose and be able to bring some confidence into the game after his nice short start last week. Getting him settled into SEC play is a thing to watch these first few weeks. Ole Miss’ starter options don’t have a magic button. It’s about piecing things together the best way possible.
Auburn was 5-for-24 with runners on and 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Ole Miss wiggles out of a lot of trouble.
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