Out of the frying pan and into the fire
ASU more than held their own last week going 2-2 on a difficult 4 game road trip against UofA and TCU. To me it was more impressive than the sweep of Gonzaga.
Some might remember last season the Devils lost some confidence in Texas being out classed by Texas AM and TCU. For that reason, the 26 runs in game 2 against TCU this last weekend on the way to the series win was somewhat of a needed and welcome statement. At least if you ask me.
Not only were the wins a welcome sight, but, the break out series of Kyle Walker and Isaiah Jackson were particularly impressive. Jackson started last season on a tear only to see his batting average plummet to .224 in mid April with a mountain of strike outs. He struggled especially against good pitching. So, when the report of him fixing his swing surfaced this off season I was skeptical that it would mean much. His play against a tough TCU team though was pretty good, although streaky.
As for Walker, he was benched for the UofA game and some might take that as a reason to pout, but the red shirt junior just went 6-14 with 5 runs against TCU. If the Devils can get to a regional and it ends up being down south, I think the transfer from Grambling could really be somebody that will feel right at home and set the tone for a roster and coaching staff that severely lacks post season success on their resume.
So much about the frying pan, what about the fire?
The Kansas Jayhawk offense is scorching.
If you were impressed with ASU's 26 runs against TCU, then you might be impressed with Kansas scoring 29 runs against a Minnesota staff that held ASU to just under 7 runs a game. They've also scored 21, 16, and 14 runs this season with several other 10+ run outings.
Kansas might be the early surprise of the Big 12 at 17-3 which includes an 8-1 record on the road.
Their RF Jackson Hauge transferred in from Minnesota State and already has 11 HRs on the season. 50.8% of his ABs are fly balls, and 35.5% of his fly balls are Home Runs. ASU ace Ben Jacobs gives up the 3rd most fly balls in the Big 12 so that's a battle to watch. Can Jacobs keep the ball down?
Don't look now, but ASU's combination of Jacobs and Martinez have found a bit of a groove. Jacobs (ERA 4.72) and Martinez (ERA 2.73) have formed a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Jacobs started the season by giving up just 4 earned runs in 4 innings to post an ERA of 9.00. Since then he has steadily lowered it.
The last time an ASU weekend pitcher had an ERA below 4.00 was all the way back in 2019 when Alec Marsh finished with a 3.46 ERA. Marsh was a work horse, but even his 6'2" 220 pound frame couldn't withstand the brutality of Tracy Smith. His pitch counts of 101, 96, 88, 103, 102, 103, 118, 121, 98, 65, 96, 100, 104, 90, and 108 are criminal. By the time Marsh got to the regional in 2019 he had nothing left in his arm and the Devils got crushed in game 1. Marsh had to be pulled early and it torched our bullpen in a game 1 loss.
If Bloomquist can ride these 2 arms to a regional this season then he will have done a good job. If he can manage their workload to where they can peak in the post season then he will have done an amazing job.
A huge part of Bloomquist being able to manage their workload will be how well the bullpen responds. If our pen is going to give up 9 runs in the last 3 innings with regularity then Bloomquist will be tempted to run his starters into the ground.
ASU more than held their own last week going 2-2 on a difficult 4 game road trip against UofA and TCU. To me it was more impressive than the sweep of Gonzaga.
Some might remember last season the Devils lost some confidence in Texas being out classed by Texas AM and TCU. For that reason, the 26 runs in game 2 against TCU this last weekend on the way to the series win was somewhat of a needed and welcome statement. At least if you ask me.
Not only were the wins a welcome sight, but, the break out series of Kyle Walker and Isaiah Jackson were particularly impressive. Jackson started last season on a tear only to see his batting average plummet to .224 in mid April with a mountain of strike outs. He struggled especially against good pitching. So, when the report of him fixing his swing surfaced this off season I was skeptical that it would mean much. His play against a tough TCU team though was pretty good, although streaky.
As for Walker, he was benched for the UofA game and some might take that as a reason to pout, but the red shirt junior just went 6-14 with 5 runs against TCU. If the Devils can get to a regional and it ends up being down south, I think the transfer from Grambling could really be somebody that will feel right at home and set the tone for a roster and coaching staff that severely lacks post season success on their resume.
So much about the frying pan, what about the fire?
The Kansas Jayhawk offense is scorching.
If you were impressed with ASU's 26 runs against TCU, then you might be impressed with Kansas scoring 29 runs against a Minnesota staff that held ASU to just under 7 runs a game. They've also scored 21, 16, and 14 runs this season with several other 10+ run outings.
Kansas might be the early surprise of the Big 12 at 17-3 which includes an 8-1 record on the road.
Their RF Jackson Hauge transferred in from Minnesota State and already has 11 HRs on the season. 50.8% of his ABs are fly balls, and 35.5% of his fly balls are Home Runs. ASU ace Ben Jacobs gives up the 3rd most fly balls in the Big 12 so that's a battle to watch. Can Jacobs keep the ball down?
Don't look now, but ASU's combination of Jacobs and Martinez have found a bit of a groove. Jacobs (ERA 4.72) and Martinez (ERA 2.73) have formed a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Jacobs started the season by giving up just 4 earned runs in 4 innings to post an ERA of 9.00. Since then he has steadily lowered it.
The last time an ASU weekend pitcher had an ERA below 4.00 was all the way back in 2019 when Alec Marsh finished with a 3.46 ERA. Marsh was a work horse, but even his 6'2" 220 pound frame couldn't withstand the brutality of Tracy Smith. His pitch counts of 101, 96, 88, 103, 102, 103, 118, 121, 98, 65, 96, 100, 104, 90, and 108 are criminal. By the time Marsh got to the regional in 2019 he had nothing left in his arm and the Devils got crushed in game 1. Marsh had to be pulled early and it torched our bullpen in a game 1 loss.
If Bloomquist can ride these 2 arms to a regional this season then he will have done a good job. If he can manage their workload to where they can peak in the post season then he will have done an amazing job.
A huge part of Bloomquist being able to manage their workload will be how well the bullpen responds. If our pen is going to give up 9 runs in the last 3 innings with regularity then Bloomquist will be tempted to run his starters into the ground.
