Impressive streak for LSU relievers
Nearly three weeks ago, the LSU bullpen endured the inning from hell.
Missouri tagged LSU relief pitchers for eight runs in the eighth inning which turned a one-run game into a rout. Missouri added two more runs in the ninth inning of a 12-6 victory.
The next day, closer Austin Bain allowed three ninth-inning runs in a non-save situation. LSU defeated Missouri 7-5 in the rubber game of the series. Since the Missouri series, the eight pitchers who comprise the LSU bullpen have not allowed a run in 29.1 innings.
The only runs yielded by a Tigers relief pitcher came when AJ Labas, normally a starter, gave up four runs to Tulane during his four-inning stint out of the bullpen.
Pitching coach Alan Dunn is looking for quality starts from his three starters in this weekend’s series against Texas A&M at Blue Bell Park in College Station which begins Thursday (7 p.m. Central/SEC Network), but he certainly is confident if the bullpen must be called upon.
“We talk everyday about our plan,” Dunn said. “I know it’s a cliché, but we want to stay with the plan. In that inning against Missouri, we didn’t throw the ball over the plate. We got into bad counts and things snowballed on us. Negative things lead to negative things just like success breeds success.”
Bain, who has been forced to play second base due to Brandt Broussard’s broken thumb, made his first appearance on the mound since the Missouri series Tuesday night against Nicholls State. Bain threw a perfect inning with two strikeouts.
Both Nick Bush and Todd Peterson, who began the season as the No. 3 starter, have made five scoreless appearances in this streak. Bush has allowed two hits in eight innings, while Peterson has given up four hits in 7.1 innings. Peterson has struck out 12 batters.
Both Matthew Beck and John Kodros have made four relief outings without yielding a run. Beck has struck out eight hitters in 4.1 innings. Freshman Devin Fontenot has thrown 3.2 innings of shutout ball in three relief appearances.
“It has been awesome watching the other guys pitch,” Bain said. “A lot of them have stepped up. They are throwing strikes. But, they have not just been strikes, they have been executed strikes.
“That Missouri inning was a wake-up call. It showed the young guys what happens when things go wrong in baseball. You have to be locked in all the time. The guys are maturing.”
Trent Vietmeier and Cam Sanders have each made one appearance out of the bullpen during this scoreless inning streak. These eight relievers have been touched for only 11 hits with six walks and 38 strikeouts.
“We have stuck to the process,” said Fontenot, a freshman who has not given up a run since Feb. 25. “(Dunn) talks to us every day. The meetings are pretty consistent. He tells us what we have to do to stick to our approach. We need to pitch to win. We need to give our team a chance to win.
“We are trying to minimize the damage and do what we need to do. For me, it has been a case of getting experience. D1 baseball is tough. You have to get a little bit of experience to figure out what works for you. You pitch off your strengths and attack the hitters.”
Dunn would be glad to hear Fontenot talk in such a manner. Dunn believes in maintaining the same approach every game.
“We are starting to do what we have wanted our pitchers to do,” Dunn said. “All of the relief pitchers are filling the zone up. Fontenot is following the plan. Beck has come on and is throwing the ball well.
“We knew that Bush would be a vital part of the bullpen. He threw some big innings for us last year. Peterson has really come on in his last three or four outings. He is another power-type arm in the bullpen.”
The entire LSU pitching staff has made progress since the Missouri series. The Tigers have not given up more than four runs in any of their last nine games. In five of the games, the opponent has scored fewer than three runs. LSU has lost four of those nine games because of an unproductive offense.
“Why I am so optimistic about our future is the way our pitching staff has thrown,” coach Paul Mainieri said. “All of the pitchers have found their niche.
“The starting pitching has been pretty good and my gosh, our bullpen. We haven’t even had to use Bain. The kids have worked hard. You can’t win in the SEC unless you dominate on the mound.”
Here are the statistics for LSU relief pitchers in the last nine games.
Nick Bush: 5 games, 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Todd Peterson: 5 games, 7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K
Matthew Beck: 4 games, 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
John Kodros: 4 games, 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Devin Fontenot: 3 games, 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Austin Bain: 1 game, 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Cam Sanders: 1 game, 1 IP, 0 H. 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Trent Vietmeier: 1 game, .2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
TOTAL: 24 appearances, 29.1 IP, 11 H, 0 R, 6 BB, 38 K