Kentucky at Georgia (Friday)

[Comebakatz3]

Just anxious for the series to start. Won't have a lineup until later in the day, but I think it is going to be interesting. We have hit better the past two or three games, but
I think some things may shake up the lineup again this weekend. One thing is the return of Rubalcaba from injury. I don’t know how healthy he is, but he played on Tuesday, so I guess he’s ready to go. Kessler legitimately cannot keep catching every inning of every game, so Rubalcaba has to be a factor somehow. Rhodes is also injured, apparently an arm injury, that has restricted his ability to play defense. So, that puts UK in a dilemma… UK doesn’t want to sit Kessler because of his hitting and they don’t want to sit Rhodes because of his potential hitting, if he breaks his cold streak. Yet, if Rhodes can’t play defense you have a log jam at DH. You also then have to decide who is going to play in the OF in place of Rhodes.


So, all of this comes into play this weekend as we lace them up in Athens, GA. Another critical series where UK desperately needs at least 2 wins.

 

[167Hike]

And there is your answer.....
Rhodes in Right
Church at 3rd
Plastiak DHing
Hill to the bench
or so the early line-up card released by UK Baseball on Twitter says.

 

[Comebakatz3]

 

[Comebakatz3]

And there is your answer.....
Rhodes in Right
Church at 3rd
Plastiak DHing
Hill to the bench
or so the early line-up card released by UK Baseball on Twitter says.

Hill actually has an injury this time though. Not sure how long he will be out.

 

[Comebakatz3]

2 ks between a fly out to right. Saw a lot of pitches though, so not a horrible first at bat.

 

[167Hike]

Do we know what Hill’s injury is?

 

[Comebakatz3]

Lol Georgia visibly angry at the strikezone. Then a grounder to third for out two. Single to the off the wall. Rhodes runs one down that was fading towards the line for out 3.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Do we know what Hill’s injury is?

Hand. Jammed it in Tuesday game.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Kessler flies out to deep center. Anu fists one the other way into right. Ritter strikes out. Again, the good thing is that UK is being pretty patient and making them throw a lot of pitches. He's at 34 now through 1.2 innings. Plastiak goes down looking.

0-0

 

[Comebakatz3]

Stupp gets a K then a chopper to second before giving up a pushed grounder into right. Grounder into the shift ends the inning. Going to 3 still scoreless.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Church hitting 8th goes down swinging. Estep fouls out to the catcher. Schultz lines up the middle for a single. He moves up on a wild pitch. Collett hits it into left center for an RBI single. 1-0 UK.

Rhodes Ks looking.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Grounder to third for the first out and then a K before a seeing eye single gets into left. Collins lines it right to Church into the shift for out 3.

Going to the 4th 1-0

 

[167Hike]

Is it true that we are the 4th best team in the league at not striking out at the plate (I think that’s what the Georgia announcer said)?

If true and 6 of our 9 outs have been K’s.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Kess hit by a pitch and takes first. They give him a look over, it was off his elbow. Kessler takes second on a low ball. They'll review. Looks like he's safe. He got there first. Too hard to tell if his hand came off the bag. They called him safe after review. Think that's probably correct. Not enough evidence to show otherwise.

Anu up and he gets a hanging breaking ball and rips it into left for a single to move over Kessler.

Ritter pokes it into right for an RBI sac fly. 2-0

Plastiak right back up the middle on the first pitch for a single. Base to base here.

Pitching coach out to talk to the UGA pitcher.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Is it true that we are the 4th best team in the league at not striking out at the plate (I think that’s what the Georgia announcer said)?

If true and 6 of our 9 outs have been K’s.

Yes. We have done very good at not striking out a ton, but we have faced some of the worst pitching in the league.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Church grounds out to the pitcher, but everyone moves over. Estep looks at pitch number 70 and they call it strike 3. Estep doesn't like it. This K zone is wide.

2-0 bottom 4

 

[Comebakatz3]

Schultz lets a single drop in front of him. That has to be caught. Sac bunt goes for a single. He may have done that because of the silly shift UK plays where no one is at third at all.

Stupp gets a K and then follows it up with another K. Huge timely Ks right there!!!

Pop fly into left and Anu brings it in and shuts the door on UGA. 2-0 going to 5th

 

[Comebakatz3]

Schultz grounds out to short. Collett is seeing it so well but this one finds a glove at the wall. Rhodes also grounds out to short. That's UK's first bad inning

 

[Comebakatz3]

Stupp works a 1-2-3 inning. Fast and efficient. 2-0 going to the 6th

 

[Comebakatz3]

Webb only threw 7 pitches in the last inning. That's why I said it was not great.

Kessler lines out to second. Good bat on it but right at someone. Anu grounds out to third. Side retired on a fly ball to center.

2-0 going to bottom 6

 

[Comebakatz3]

Stupp gives up a leadoff walk. Fly ball to center for out 1. UK and the stupid shift and we give up another single in the infield. I hate the shift.

Runners at first and second with 1 out.

Ground ball to third and Church gets the force but throws high to first. Don't think he gets it there in time, but it's close.

Grounder to first and it was a foot race between Stupp and hitter and Stupp wins it. HUGE!!!

2-0 going to the 7th

 

[Comebakatz3]

Plastiak goes down low and lifts one to right center and it just dies in the alley and finds a glove for out 1.

Side note: I think the UGA stadium with the high roller inside seating behind home plate is corny looking.

Church walks. UGA pitcher at 99 pitches now.

Estep squares and pulls back on a strike. He then strikes out bunting at strike 3. That one was a ball. Don't like that call there.

New pitcher for UGA.

 

[Comebakatz3]

UK didn't bring Lewis to this series and its in this spot where he is needed to run for Church. Bad decision by Mingione to leave the Georgia native at home and one that is disrespectful to the senior.

Schultz now facing Polk. He grounds to third and it's probably an error as the 3rd baseman rushes it and it goes right between his legs. Everyone is safe.

Collett battles well. Draws a full count. He's hit a few foul. UK could use an insurance run. He fouls off another. That run is why Church should probably be out of the game for someone else. Make sure you get speed out there... TJ gets hit by a pitch. Apparently they'll review this... it's silly. That's clearly a ball regardless. It hit his leg. Lol

 

[Comebakatz3]

They confirm that he stays at first. Of course. Lol wasnt even close to being in the zone. UGA will change pitchers.

 

[Comebakatz3]

If Rhodes is going to break out of his slump... here's the at bat to do it. With UGA having 9 outs left, UK could use a few more runs for breathing room.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Rhodes got a high hanging curve but couldnt pull the trigger. Still, the only other pitches he sees are balls and he draws a walk and UK leads 3-0.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Kessler up and UGA will bring in yet another pitcher.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Caldwell, a lefty, in to face lefty Kessler. 3-1 count against Kessler and he draws a walk. 4-0 Big Blue

 

[Comebakatz3]

Anu grounds out to second and we go to the 7th inning stretch with UK up 4-0. Got those 2 without a hit.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Stupp back out, at 80 pitches. Grounder to second into the shift for the first out. Line ball into left center for a single. Schultz gets a fly in center for out 2. Church takes a hot shot and goes corner to corner to take us to the 8th.

4-0

 

[Comebakatz3]

Ritter chops one up the middle and the UGA second baseman takes a running jump throw to get Ritter. Plastiak goes down looking.

Church grounds up the middle for a single. Good strong grounder up the middle. Church saw that one well and was in it. That's good to see from the struggling Church.

Estep isn't seeing it very well tonight. Looked bad swinging at a ball that wasn't close. He goes down swinging to end the UK 8th.

4-0 UK

 

[Comebakatz3]

Hill now in left. Surprised by that with his hand, but glad to hear that he's out there.

Stupp gets an easy grounder to for the first out of the 8th. Stupp now at 100 pitches. He gets a K for out 2. Ugh UK gets a bad break as UGA gets their first extra base hit off a liner that bounces off first and into the corner for a double. Collett was right on it but it hitting the bag made it go over his glove.

Liner into left and Cam brings it home but it's a touch late and UGA scores. Good throw from Hill, but if it were on the other side of Kessler it might have been an out. It was that close.

 

[BlueStoops]

Take him out. A 20 year old is at 110 pitches

 

[Comebakatz3]

Fisted pitch into center for another single. Roszel coming out now. They'll let him pitch out of this.

 

[Comebakatz3]

4-1

Stupp probably should have come out there. Throws two straight balls. There's a foul ball, but that was pretty middle/middle. Scary pitch. Even count. That outside corner on lefties has been kind to Stupp. Strikeout!!! Stupp limits the damage and we go to the 9th with UK up 4-1

 

[Comebakatz3]

UK getting out hit 10 to 6. Make that 7 as Schultz lines a single into right. Would love to see UK respond with a score here. Rigsby up in the pen now, he'll likely close it out. Collett falls behind early and he swings at one over his head. Couldn't hold up.

High pitch off the glove of the catcher advances Schultz. What in the world!? Caldwell turned and threw at second but no one was there and he bounced it past second and into right to give Schultz another free base. Rhodes comes up huge and lines one into right center for a double!!

5-1 UK

 

[Comebakatz3]

That extra run was huge. Great at bat for Rhodes. Good job by Schultz to distract Caldwell.

Rhodes steals third. Ball was in the dirt and no throw.

Kessler just dinks one to second and they come home but too late to get Rhodes and Kessler is safe at first. Good at bat to get contact and make them make a play.

6-1 UK

 

[Comebakatz3]

Cam Hill up and he bunts right back to the pitcher, but he does the job and moves Kessler over to second.

Ritter pops one up to deep right to end the UK 9th.

Going to the bottom half to try to close this thing down UK leading 6-1. Strickland will get the call to get the final 3.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Strick with a fastball that just keeps tailing outside and away from lefties. Good battle here with a lot of foul balls. Full count. 9 pitches in this at bat so far. Base hit on pitch 10. Just couldn't get anything past him and Strickland put it too close in the middle.

This is the 8/9 hole. UK needs those outs. By the way, Shelby in center now. Interesting change. Strickland now at 15 pitches. Just cant retire them easily. Fly ball to left gets the 1st of the 9th. You can see the tape on Cam's glove hand out there when he has it off.

 

[Aday117]

Hell of a start to the series. Can’t ask for much more than what we got tonight. Go cats!