[ColoradoTree]

I didn't look at every NC State series, but in the last few 3-game series of the regular season as well as the Super Regionals, N.C. State's rotation went like this:

1. Reid Johnston (11 starts, 8-3, 4.47 ERA, 91 K, 22 BB, 90.2 IP)
2. Sam Highfill (15 starts, 8-2, 3.98 ERA, 77 K, 24 BB, 86 IP)
3. Matt Willadsen (13 starts, 5-3, 4.73 ERA, 72K, 29 BB, 83.2 IP)

And it was Johnston that got chased by Arkansas early. The closer is Evan Justice (5-2, 11 saves, 4.09 ERA, 68K, 24 BB, 55 IP). The other pitcher that got significant time was Chris Villaman (18 appearances, 7 starts, 5-2, 4.35 ERA, 71K, 16BB in 60 IP), who mostly seems to be handcuffed with Willadsen.

Four other relievers with sub-5 ERAs for a total of 6 including Villaman and Justice. But those aren't high-usage guys. Of the four most-used relievers after Justice and Villaman, only one guy has a sub-5 ERA--the others are 8.25, 11.48, and 13.50. But especially in a short season, one bad outing can put your ERA beyond repair for the season, so you can't put too much on that--a couple of those guys got shellacked by Arkansas, so their numbers are a bit inflated. 

Meanwhile, here's our 3-man rotation: 

1. Beck (14 starts, 9-1, 2.96 ERA, 128 K, 23 BB, 100.1 IP)
2. Williams (10 starts, 4-2, 3.06 ERA, 50 K, 14 BB, 50 IP)
3. Quinn Mathews (13 starts, 5-2, 6.15 ERA, 54 K, 30 BB, 60 IP)

(I included Mathews just because he's got a clear edge in starts this year over the other options--i.e., I'm saying he has been our third starter, not that he should be.) As others have noted with the NC State lineup, the same holds through for their bullpen--this is a team that relies a lot on their starters and limits innings for the other guys. N.C. State has just five guys with more than 20 IP this season, and all five have at least 55 innings. Meanwhile, Stanford has ten guys with more than 20 IP, and only two of them (Beck and Matthews) have more than 55 innings. We spread the wealth far more, and that experience is big in the postseason. 

So, if we do chase Johnston early on Saturday, the game has a potential to steamroll if the Wolfpack coach does what he did against Arkansas and leave his closer and his other top reliever, Villaman, on the bench (presumably to preserve that Game 3 handcuff between Villaman and Willadsen). Johnston gave up 7 in 3 innings in that first game against Arkansas, and the relatively little-used relievers who came in gave up another 14. Hopefully our more experienced bullpen proves to be an advantage on Saturday. 

If we end up needing a third starter, it seems like it would be Mathews, but with a quick hook at the first sign of trouble, no? It's not like we have great other options, and Esquer keeps putting Mathews out there. 

---

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors having been throwing stones and spears overhand when hunting for a couple of hundred thousand years. It's surprising that, with all that time, Mother Nature couldn't figure a way to evolve shoulders and arms where throwing overhand is "natural." :)

Ah, someone on this board who thinks the way I do :)

Seriously, I was just thinking about this topic in light of the Tyler Glasnow injury and the presser he gave yesterday about his reaction to MLB cracking down on "sticky stuff" Pitchers use for gripping the Baseball.

Off topic, but I really appreciated that Glasnow presser. Informative and useful. I see a distinct difference in the super sticky substances that majorly boost your spin rate (like Spider Tack) and the mildly sticky substances that help with grip (like when guys use the rosin bag mix a little of that with sunscreen on their body) but which studies have shown don't impact your spin rate. The latter doesn't strike me as cheating or even problematic, while the former needs fixing. (Also, how MLB is supposed to police guys using sunscreen in a summer sport is beyond me. And the league keeps a rosin bag right there on the mound.)

And he's right that to do this midseason when guys haven't trained/prepared for it is unfair, and doing it this way will lead to more injuries as guys have to adjust how they grip the ball and pitch on the fly.

[ColoradoTree]

I didn't look at every NC State series, but in the last few 3-game series of the regular season as well as the Super Regionals, N.C. State's rotation went like this:

1. Reid Johnston (11 starts, 8-3, 4.47 ERA, 91 K, 22 BB, 90.2 IP)
2. Sam Highfill (15 starts, 8-2, 3.98 ERA, 77 K, 24 BB, 86 IP)
3. Matt Willadsen (13 starts, 5-3, 4.73 ERA, 72K, 29 BB, 83.2 IP)

And it was Johnston that got chased by Arkansas early. The closer is Evan Justice (5-2, 11 saves, 4.09 ERA, 68K, 24 BB, 55 IP). The other pitcher that got significant time was Chris Villaman (18 appearances, 7 starts, 5-2, 4.35 ERA, 71K, 16BB in 60 IP), who mostly seems to be handcuffed with Willadsen.

Four other relievers with sub-5 ERAs for a total of 6 including Villaman and Justice. But those aren't high-usage guys. Of the four most-used relievers after Justice and Villaman, only one guy has a sub-5 ERA--the others are 8.25, 11.48, and 13.50. But especially in a short season, one bad outing can put your ERA beyond repair for the season, so you can't put too much on that--a couple of those guys got shellacked by Arkansas, so their numbers are a bit inflated. 

Meanwhile, here's our 3-man rotation: 

1. Beck (14 starts, 9-1, 2.96 ERA, 128 K, 23 BB, 100.1 IP)
2. Williams (10 starts, 4-2, 3.06 ERA, 50 K, 14 BB, 50 IP)
3. Quinn Mathews (13 starts, 5-2, 6.15 ERA, 54 K, 30 BB, 60 IP)

(I included Mathews just because he's got a clear edge in starts this year over the other options--i.e., I'm saying he has been our third starter, not that he should be.) As others have noted with the NC State lineup, the same holds through for their bullpen--this is a team that relies a lot on their starters and limits innings for the other guys. N.C. State has just five guys with more than 20 IP this season, and all five have at least 55 innings. Meanwhile, Stanford has ten guys with more than 20 IP, and only two of them (Beck and Matthews) have more than 55 innings. We spread the wealth far more, and that experience is big in the postseason. 

So, if we do chase Johnston early on Saturday, the game has a potential to steamroll if the Wolfpack coach does what he did against Arkansas and leave his closer and his other top reliever, Villaman, on the bench (presumably to preserve that Game 3 handcuff between Villaman and Willadsen). Johnston gave up 7 in 3 innings in that first game against Arkansas, and the relatively little-used relievers who came in gave up another 14. Hopefully our more experienced bullpen proves to be an advantage on Saturday. 

If we end up needing a third starter, it seems like it would be Mathews, but with a quick hook at the first sign of trouble, no? It's not like we have great other options, and Esquer keeps putting Mathews out there. 

---

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors having been throwing stones and spears overhand when hunting for a couple of hundred thousand years. It's surprising that, with all that time, Mother Nature couldn't figure a way to evolve shoulders and arms where throwing overhand is "natural." :)

Ah, someone on this board who thinks the way I do :)

Seriously, I was just thinking about this topic in light of the Tyler Glasnow injury and the presser he gave yesterday about his reaction to MLB cracking down on "sticky stuff" Pitchers use for gripping the Baseball.

Off topic, but I really appreciated that Glasnow presser. Informative and useful. I see a distinct difference in the super sticky substances that majorly boost your spin rate (like Spider Tack) and the mildly sticky substances that help with grip (like when guys use the rosin bag mix a little of that with sunscreen on their body) but which studies have shown don't impact your spin rate. The latter doesn't strike me as cheating or even problematic, while the former needs fixing. (Also, how MLB is supposed to police guys using sunscreen in a summer sport is beyond me. And the league keeps a rosin bag right there on the mound.)

And he's right that to do this midseason when guys haven't trained/prepared for it is unfair, and doing it this way will lead to more injuries as guys have to adjust how they grip the ball and pitch on the fly.