When Florida State is run-ruled at home on back-to-back days, it's a result of poor hitting, pitching and at times fielding.
But the bullpen blues were a major issue in all three games, even a 5-4 walk-off win on Friday night. FSU's bullpen logged a heavy workload in the three games against Wake Forest, allowing 16 earned runs in 12.2 innings.
The hits, walks and wild pitches piled up, contributing to a 12-0 loss on Saturday and a 17-2 defeat on Sunday.
"It’s not a strike-throwing contest," FSU coach Link Jarrett said. "You’re trying to pitch. And there are going to be some walks. But ultimately the command and the execution trumps all you do out there."
Let's start with two critical points: Wake is a very good hitting team and neither Joey Volini (2.1 innings) nor Wes Mendes (4.0 innings) went very deep in their starts. But consider these numbers from the bullpen:
Jamie Arnold gave FSU an impressive start on Friday, tossing five shutout innings and striking out 10 while giving up just two hits and two walks. But Chris Knier ran into trouble immediately, giving up three runs without recording an out, and Maison Martinez allowed a run in his inning of work. There were bright spots, with Joe Charles throwing two shutout innings and Peyton Prescott picking up the win with a scoreless ninth.
But trouble popped up on Saturday and Sunday, too. Ben Barrett gave up three runs in less than an inning on Saturday. Like Friday night, there were some bright spots. Payton Manca ate up three innings on Saturday (allowing just an earned run), and it was a good appearance to allow FSU to keep some arms fresh for a chance to win the series Sunday. But Prescott (four runs, one earned), Knier (three earned runs) and John Abraham (three earned runs) all ran into significant trouble on Sunday.
"We could not get out of our own way on the mound," Jarrett said. "And they absolutely made us pay for any mistake. And the mistakes came in the form of not landing some good secondary pitches to get them off the fastball. And then when you’re in situations to really try to expand and put people away we did not do that either."
It's tough to paint with a broad brush — not everyone is to blame for the bullpen struggles. But there haven't been enough consistent appearances for Jarrett and pitching coach Micah Posey to feel one pitcher is more reliable if they are to send him into the game.
"These guys are going to have to learn," Jarrett said. "This is what we have. They’re going to have to learn. And we’ve seen them really, really good. They’ll be really good again. They just have to learn from this miserable feeling of how to apply some of those things they’re working on and make sure it shows up regardless of the score, regardless of the role, you have to perform and take the work into the game."
What's next with midweek at UF, Virginia Tech?
FSU is shorthanded on the mound, not having Evan Chrest since he exited early due to injury against Florida on March 11. Cam Leiter also hasn't been available, and his timetable to return is uncertain after he had a procedure in November.
It's fun to imagine what this pitching staff would look like with Chrest and Leiter. Not having them has of course contributed to the bullpen's struggles.
Since Chrest's injury, the Seminoles have had to essentially throw an opener in three subsequent Tuesday games — loss to Mercer, win over UF in Jacksonville and an 11-10 victory over Jacksonville. Counting the home game vs. UF when Chrest exited early, FSU is 2-2 in those midweek games.
FSU will turn to sophomore right-hander Peyton Prescott (3-0, 5.09 ERA) to make his first start of the season at Florida on Tuesday in Gainesville (7 p.m. on ESPN2). Prescott pitched 1.2 innings over the weekend, and he's likely an opener vs. the Gators.
But taking a look at FSU's bullpen usage against Wake, it appears Jarrett and Posey will lean on Brady Louck for innings, too.
Louck (0-0, 2.79 ERA) has given up just three walks and four hits in 9.2 innings in his six appearances. He is rested and could be stretched out, which he did in tossing three innings in the win over Jacksonville last Tuesday. Louck allowed one earned run on 41 pitches.
The Seminoles need a good, short start from Prescott. And from Louck to handle one trip through the order, and perhaps a little more. But they will need to figure out a way to get 27 outs, and do so on the road, if they are to win the season series against Florida.
While the focus is on UF in the short term, FSU will also face a challenge in the weekend as Virginia Tech averages 8.3 runs per game. The Hokies are coming off a series sweep of Wake and a series win over Notre Dame.
As much as we made the bullpen a focal point with this story, FSU scored just seven runs over the weekend. The Seminoles need to improve in plenty of areas, but finding some reliable options in the bullpen are critical in the next 22 games — a stretch where they will face ranked teams like VT, Louisville, Clemson and North Carolina.
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