Sun Devils’ pitching struggles showcased in 18-10 loss to Nebraska
Sometimes you just look at a box score and its markings and information are so lengthy it’s obscene. If nothing else, Sunday provided that. It provided 28 runs and 30 hits and eight home runs and 10 pitchers and somehow only lasted for three hours.
Beyond that, beyond those gaudy digits, ASU (8-4) showed on Sunday why it is a Top 10 team while at the same time providing a glimpse to what may hold it back from Omaha. Sunday did nothing to disprove what most thought the Sun Devils would be coming into the season.
In the words of the late Dennis Green: “They were who we thought they were.”
In the fourth inning of Nebraska’s 18-10 win, Husker starter Cade Povich decided to throw all caution to the wind and attacked Spencer Torkelson using a bold strategy: Give him pitches to hit.
“Yeah, that was cool,” Torkelson joked.
It’s as bold and as it is rare. Torkelson came into his twelfth game leading the nation with 24 walks and 13 intentional walks -- in other words, pitchers either threw around him or, simply, didn’t throw to him.
Povich found out why. After locating his first two pitches around the zone, his third offering was an 85 mph changeup that caught way too much of the plate. Torkelson obliterated it 435 feet to the opposite field. The shot was his fifth of the season and 53rd of his ASU career, which puts him just three behind Bob Horner for the school record.
It also tied the game at eight.
With one swing of the bat, Torkelson had bailed out starter Justin Fall, the towering left-hander and exited after foregoing six runs, including a grand slam, in three innings. ASU had the momentum. The ASU fans amongst the 3,716 on hand, most of whom were wearing red and probably from Lincoln, were suddenly energized.
Less than 10 minutes later, the collective air left Phoenix Muni. Off freshman bullpen arms Bryce Barnett and Christian Bodlovich, the Huskers put up eight hits and hung a seven-spot. The game was out of reach.
And that is basically the crux of ASU’s situation. Does it have the pitching, the bullpen consistency, to last until June?
“Sometimes the pitching is going to bail out the offense. Sometimes the offense is going to bail out the pitching,” head coach Tracy Smith said. “But I think if we play consistent baseball like we did this weekend, we’re going to win our fair share of games.”
After the first weekend of the season, when the Sun Devils put up just 11 runs in four games, some wondered if the hitting was the problem. That was a farce. It was a short-livid notion. ASU’s offense, as evident by the 37-run outburst this weekend, is just fine.
“We’ve talked about it before,” Smith said, “I don’t think the offensive piece is going to be the biggest concern for us.”
The depth of it’s pitching staff is a bit more in motion. Erik Tolman, Cooper Benson, and Tyler Thornton all dominated on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, respectively. Boyd Vander Kooi also looked outstanding in two innings of work.
Those four, plus Fall, are the quintet Smith believes in. The five he trusts. But what happens when they leave -- like on Tuesday when New Mexico State forced extras -- or when they struggle like Fall did Sunday?
That’s where the questions lie for ASU.
The good news is it hasn’t accounted for many losses. Realistically, Sunday was the first of ASU’s four losses where you could even remotely blame the pitching. After all, it’s pretty tough to score 10 runs and lose -- by eight nonetheless.
Ok, so ASU gave up 18 runs. But think about this: Before Sunday, ASU hadn’t allowed more than five runs all season. The Sun Devils did that for 11 games out of the gate, the longest such streak since 2009.
There’s a tendency to nitpick the Sun Devils, especially after what’s transpired in the last three years. Their arms were shaky at best on Sunday, but until that happens consistently time and time again, ASU is going to be fine.
As Smith put it: “If you’re disappointed winning weekends, then we’re in a pretty good spot.”
