LSU can’t get it together
Published 6:00 pm Thursday, March 29, 2018
Hitting on fritz after pitching solved
<p class="p1">Remember when LSU’s pitching staff bordered on being a dumpster fire?
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<p class="p3">That seems pretty well cleaned up lately, but suddenly the Tigers have been wasting a lot of good work on the mound.
{{tncms-inline alignment="left" content="&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mississippi St.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;at LSU,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8 p.m., SECN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;" id="051cfe2e-d120-4634-b597-b8ed2c170c86" style-type="info" title="TONIGHT" type="relcontent"}}
<p class="p3">It’s always something.
<p class="p3">The Tigers (16-10, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) now will be trying to generate some offense when they host Mississippi State (13-13, 1-5) in an early weekend SEC series that opens tonight at LSU’s Alex Box Stadium.
<p class="p3">LSU has scored more than two runs once in its last four games, three of them close losses.
<p class="p3">It’s not lack for of opportunities to score.
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<p class="p3">The latest was one of LSU’s most frustrating games Tuesday night in a 3-1 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette at the Wally Pontiff Classic in Metairie.
<p class="p3">“We got 10 hits and scored one run,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri noted. “That’s totally unacceptable.”
<p class="p3">The Tigers left runners in scoring position in seven of the nine innings, including the tying runs at second and third when the game ended. They stranded 11 in the game, which doesn’t include two erased on inning-ending double plays.
<p class="p3">That came on the heels of a 1-0 loss Sunday in the rubber game of their last SEC series against Vanderbilt.
<p class="p3">“A lot of times we get the hits with two outs, where now it’s going to take a couple more hits to score the runner,” Mainieri said. “Obviously we weren’t up to that task.”
{{tncms-inline alignment="left" content="&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Team Comparisons&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LSU&lt;/strong&gt; (16-10 / 3-3 SEC): .298 BA; 4.15 ERA.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mississippi State&lt;/strong&gt; (13-13 / 1-5 SEC): .268 BA; 3.45 ERA.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;hr /&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pitching Matchups&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7 p.m. Today, SECN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;MSU, LH Konnor Pilkington (1-3, 1.82 ERA, 34.2 IP, 4 BB, 48 SO) vs. LSU, RH Zack Hess (3-3, 5.68 ERA, 31.2 IP, 17 BB, 45 SO).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7 p.m. Friday&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;MSU, LSU Ethan Small (1-2, 2.73 ERA, 33 IP, 10 BB, 46 SO) vs. LSU, RH Caleb Gilbert (3-1, 3.86 ERA, 32.2 IP, 7 BB, 20 SO).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Noon Saturday, ESPN2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;MSU, RH Jacob Billingsley (2-1, 3.96, .25 IP, 15 BB, 21 SO) vs. LSU, RH Ma&amp;rsquo;Khail Hilliard (5-1, 0.92 ERA, 29.1 IP, 9 BB, 28 SO).&lt;/p&gt;" id="fab37404-600e-43d4-9729-464b4b157f4a" style-type="info" title="SEC" type="relcontent"}}
<p class="p3">It just points out how small the margin error is in the game.
<p class="p3">Of LSU’s last seven losses, three have been one run and three more have been by two runs.
<p class="p3">“I’ve just got to find the answers. I take responsibility for it,” Mainieri said. “I’m just not getting the best out of them. I know we’re better than this.”
<p class="p3">It might help to get healthy, although apparently it won’t happen this week.
<p class="p3">The Tigers will have to go to a makeshift infield again with second baseman (and leading hitter) Brandt Broussard out for an extended period with a fractured thumb and shortstop Josh Smith at least a couple of weeks from returning.
<p class="p3">Mainieri said Wednesday that catcher Hunter Feduccia, who sat out the ULL game, may miss tonight’s game as well with a sore arm.
<p class="p3">Mississippi State has struggled with interim coach Gary Henderson taking over after the season’s first weekend when Andy Cannizaro (a former LSU assistant) was fired. The Bulldogs, who are tied for last place with Alabama in the SEC West, are coming off a Tuesday night loss at Nicholls State.
<p class="p3">LSU has won seven consecutive games against the Bulldogs, including sweeping a weekend series in Starkville to end the regular season last season. The teams later met in an NCAA super regional in Baton Rouge with the Tigers advancing to the College World Series with a two-game sweep.
<p class="p1"><strong>Mississippi St. </strong><strong>at LSU, </strong><strong>8 p.m., SECN</strong>
<p class="p1"><strong>Team Comparisons</strong>
<p class="p1"><strong>LSU</strong> (16-10 / 3-3 SEC): .298 BA; 4.15 ERA.
<p class="p1"><strong>Mississippi State</strong> (13-13 / 1-5 SEC): .268 BA; 3.45 ERA.
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<p class="p1"><strong>Pitching Matchups</strong>
<p class="p1"><strong>7 p.m. Today, SECN</strong>
<p class="p1">MSU, LH Konnor Pilkington (1-3, 1.82 ERA, 34.2 IP, 4 BB, 48 SO) vs. LSU, RH Zack Hess (3-3, 5.68 ERA, 31.2 IP, 17 BB, 45 SO).
<p class="p1"><strong>7 p.m. Friday</strong>
<p class="p1">MSU, LSU Ethan Small (1-2, 2.73 ERA, 33 IP, 10 BB, 46 SO) vs. LSU, RH Caleb Gilbert (3-1, 3.86 ERA, 32.2 IP, 7 BB, 20 SO).
<p class="p1"><strong>Noon Saturday, ESPN2</strong>
<p class="p1">MSU, RH Jacob Billingsley (2-1, 3.96, .25 IP, 15 BB, 21 SO) vs. LSU, RH Ma’Khail Hilliard (5-1, 0.92 ERA, 29.1 IP, 9 BB, 28 SO).
