I like that we haven the advantage but that just seems wrong for the away team to get the home slot when facing a seeded team. I don't get some of the post season rules at all. My least favorite being that you can't do any of e walk up music or oth things at the regional. Just silly in my opinion.

I only throw Wacha tomorrow if he is completely rested and ready to go. If there are any doubts that he won't be 100%, then I throw Hadley. If however we have ANY lead late in the game, You bring in Wacha to close.

Then what happens if Wacha loses it? You don't get a start from your best pitcher in a three game set? No thanks.

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Then what happens if Wacha loses it? You don't get a start from your best pitcher in a three game set? No thanks.

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You don't think after throwing one inning he could turn around and start?

Also, do you really think Wacha would lose it? Do you have more confidence in our bullpen than Wacha?

[This message has been edited by cobizzle (edited 6/11/2011 9:51p).]

Would it be possible for Wacha to close tomorrow, and still start and play a few innings Monday?

Besides getting Wacha another day of rest, I think a factor in letting Hadley start tomorrow is this: for the Ags to win it all, we're going to have to win at least one game in the CWS that Hadley starts.

He had a pretty decent start against Arizona 9 (two earned runs in 5+ innings). Let him keep his rhythm and get some more big game experience.

DO YOU PEOPLE ASKING FOR HADLEY OR PARRENT EVER WATCH COLLEGE BASEBALL????

YOU ALWAYS PITCH YOUR BEST. THE WIN IS WHAT MATTERS. SAVING A PITCHER FOR LATER IF YOU DON'T WIN THE SERIES IS STUPID!

WACHA FOR THE WIN TOMORROW.

I don't think it would be q good idea and it has nothing to do with a lack of confidence in Wacha. If I didn't have confidence in him I wouldn't want him to start. It's baseball. Crazy things happen. Unseeded teams come in and beat up first round picks in their park. Good pitchers give up homeruns to guys that haven't hit well all year. I don't want to waste Wacha on one inning's work. If we can shut it down tomorrow that's a big deal and means more rest for the whole team.

If you pitch Hadley and lose, we still have the advantage. If you pitch Wacha and lose, it shifts back to FSU. I'm sure Wacha wants the ball, but being one win from Omaha, I think it's imperative to make sure Wacha is as close to full strength as possible when he takes the mound. I also think Hadley would pitch better in a non-elimination game.

It's a tough call, but I think you play it safe with Wacha, give him another day of rest, and go with Hadley. If our offense continues to put up runs, we can win this thing without even putting Wacha on the mound.

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Unseeded teams come in and beat up first round picks in their park

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When the eff has that ever happened?

FSU was 10-10 in their games without their ace

If we think Wacha can be a big league pitcher, they pitch every 5 days.

You go with the best.

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FSU was 10-10 in their games without their ace

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That means we WILL win this super regional no matter who pitches, right?

I agree about pitching the best. However, Michael isn't in the big leagues yet. He already threw a gem after starting three days before. 3 starts in 10 days is a lot. If he's pitching every 5 days that's 2 starts in 10 days. I think he should get the extra day of rest.

If we were talking about Wacha on short rest then I would say that you definitely go to Wacha. But we are talking about a Wacha that would be on short rest for the second time in a row.

Start Hadley...if we are up by 2 runs or less late in the game (which is innings 7-9) then bring Wacha in and punch the ticket to Omaha. If we are up by more than 2 runs late in the game then hand it off to the bullpen. Worst case scenario about handing it off to the bullpen is that you play Monday with Wacha on the mound.

I like our chances either way.

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Start Hadley...if we are up by 2 runs or less late in the game (which is innings 7-9) then bring Wacha in and punch the ticket to Omaha.

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No, no, no. If you don't start Wacha on Sunday, you can't use him at all. You have to save him for the if necessary game.

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THE WIN IS WHAT MATTERS. SAVING A PITCHER FOR LATER IF YOU DON'T WIN THE SERIES IS STUPID!

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Its not that simple. The above is generally true, but usually this argument is before a tournament and the question is whether to start the ace against a weak team. In that scenario, you pitch the Ace because you dont want to go into the loser's bracket.

Here, the situation is different- we have 2 chances to get 1 win. We have 1 shot to pitch Wacha. Its a matter of what gives us the better chance: Pitching Wacha now w/ the momentum, or giving him another day to get better rested. A lot of it probably turns on the individual pitcher.

I rest him, but good arguments can be made either way.

This is a tough choice. But if Wacha feels good tomorrow, I'd say go for it. As we all know, chances to go to Omaha don't grow on trees, at least not yet for us. Let's go for it!!

Even if we lost with Wacha starting, I think it's evident that we have a deeper bullpen. We'd still be alright.

There are plenty of arguements to be made for both sides and I agree with all of them to a certain extent.

Taking all of the factors into account, though, I say save Wacha for Monday. My reasons are:

1. Wacha could definitely use another day's rest. There is a chance that he could go on Sunday and be lights out again, but the chances are greater with another day's rest.

2. This FSU lineup is too good for any pitcher to be even a little bit off and have success, even if your name is Michael Wacha. Again, I think one more day's rest reduces the chances of this being the case.

3. If we start Wacha in game 2 and lose, our momentum will be completely shot. Not only would we be playing a win-or-go home game on the road in a hostile environment, we would also have one of our least trusted starters on the mound. At least if we lost with Hadley in Game 2 we would have the confidence going into game 3 that comes with having one of your aces on the hill.

4. Wacha vs. their #3 starter would be one of the best matchups we could ever hope for. Period.

5. This isn't even remotely the same as holding back your ace in the first game of a regional (which I totally disagree with, by the way). And I think most on this thread who are adamantly against saving Wacha are trying to use that logic.

Hadley should start game 2 and it's not even close to being a tough call IMO.

We're not going to win the CWS with just 2 SPs as mentioned previously, so give Hadley a chance to gain some more confidence. If we win, great! If we lose, momentum is only as good as your next days starting pitcher.

Wacha needs as much rest as possible after 2 starts in 5 days. He'd still be pitching a day earlier than usual on Monday. No need to push it.

We'd play Sunday/Tuesday in the CWS, so if you started Wacha on Monday and could then go Stripling-Wacha in the CWS, they'd both be pitching 8 days after their last start.

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Hadley should start game 2 and it's not even close to being a tough call IMO.

We're not going to win the CWS with just 2 SPs as mentioned previously, so give Hadley a chance to gain some more confidence. If we win, great! If we lose, momentum is only as good as your next days starting pitcher.

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Completely agree.

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If you pitch Hadley and lose, we still have the advantage. If you pitch Wacha and lose, it shifts back to FSU. I'm sure Wacha wants the ball, but being one win from Omaha, I think it's imperative to make sure Wacha is as close to full strength as possible when he takes the mound. I also think Hadley would pitch better in a non-elimination game.

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Excellent post /thread

[This message has been edited by Goose06 (edited 6/12/2011 9:15a).]

^^^^

That about covers it.

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If we think Wacha can be a big league pitcher, they pitch every 5 days.

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That's true, but they give them time to get used to that schedule in the minors.

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Hadley should start game 2 and it's not even close to being a tough call IMO.

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Wrong, it is a tough call. However, you have done an excellent job of making it clear what the right decision is.

Childress said he would decide this morning. I'm thinking it will be Wacha.

I watch plenty of college baseball and baseball at all levels (youth to minor to MLB).

Wacha is not the same pitcher IF he is not fully ready to go physically or mentallly. An 85% rested Wacha may or may not be better than a 100% Hadley. Only the coaches know this.

If Wacha is 100% rested and the coaches are completely confident that he can not only give them a good 5 innings but a solid 7+, then I have no problem pulling out all the stops today with Wacha.

But, I simply don't know how Wacha feels. Unless you guys talk to Wacha every day, and know that he is being honest with you, then I think the safe play is to pitch Wacha Monday.

I do believe in momentum in baseball, but only within a ballgame. Not from day-to-day. Momentum is created by throwing strikes where you want to throw them (not where the hitter wants them). Pitching and defense are the pace setter of momentum in baseball, and the only way momentum is sustained from day-to-day is by your starting pitching. So, I do not fear FSU winning today.

I'm in the "start Hadley" camp...I think the point someone made about him being likely to pitch better in this scenario is a valid one. I like his chances better in a non-elimination game vs. having him pitch a winner-take-all game tomorrow.

That said, I do remember a fish named Khalid Ballouli throwing a complete game in an elimination scenario against Long Beach State in 1999...but we had already used our front-line starters, Chance Caple and Casey Fossum.

It's not a slam dunk decision for sure, but I save Kevin for Monday's "if" game and let Hadley go today...it's certainly not a matter of not trusting Wacha, it's displaying confidence in a player that you're going to need for the next couple of years as well as right now.

Start Hadley, see how far you can get with him. If we have the lead and he gets in trouble go with Wacha for the finish. If Wacha doesn't have it, take him out immediately and finish with Parrent.

And if we lose?

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Start Hadley, see how far you can get with him. If we have the lead and he gets in trouble go with Wacha for the finish. If Wacha doesn't have it, take him out immediately and finish with Parrent.

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Absolutely not.

If you decide to go with Wacha today at all, he should start. If not, save him until tomorrow.

If Wacha is fully rested he should get the start. We shouldn't even be debating this. You pitch your best pitcher.

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If Wacha is fully rested he should get the start. We shouldn't even be debating this. You pitch your best pitcher.

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Your statement is irrelevant, because the entire argument is predicated on the question of whether Wacha is fully rested. HTH.

Hadley today. Rested Wacha in gm 3, if necessary.

I like our chances today no matter who we put on the hill.

i go with hadley today. if he loses (and thus we lose the so-called momentum in the series) we have a better chance of pulling out game 3 if wacha is on the mound. If we start wacha today and lose, well then i have a lot less hope we can pull it out on monday. just imo

Posted on another thread that Hadley will start. Tweet from Aggie Baseball.

"There's a force in the universe that makes things happen; all you have to do is get in touch with it. Stop thinking...let things happen...and be...the ball."