Anybody got a clue? I don't. They haven't played for two weeks and I have no idea how that little fact is going to bend. Really, no one does but that's what we have to deal with and I certainly think it will factor in. Will they be rusty and out of sorts or will they be chomping at the bit and roaring to go?
I could argue both ways but in the end I want to think rust is a bigger deal than emotion. And I also want to think that they won't be able to avoid being rusty. Could we if we were off for two weeks?
Maybe I just talked myself into the rust side of this.
What I do know is that prior to their CO-vation they were on the skids - lost eight of nine, losing the last five games on that stretch. Games v Rutgers, Indiana, Maryland and Iowa. Prior to that mess they were 11-8 and do have wins over Indiana, Michigan, Rutgers and Illinois. Games with Penn St, Minnesota and MSU fills out their schedule.
Another thing I know is to say they have pop is to say cracking a nut with a rotten tooth hurts. Major understatements. They are seven games behind everyone else and leading the conference in home runs by a ton. We have 41 and 2nd best Michigan has 48. Northwestern has 54. So that's a lot of home runs. Weirdly, they are well behind the leaders in doubles and triples. I guess everything goes over the fence.
They are 4th in batting average (.270) just a tick behind us.
Here's a thing about their pitching, 9th in ERA (5.47), 11th in walks given and 12th in SO (walks and Ks adjusted for the missing games). They're also 10th in hits allowed (.284). They are respectable in the wild pitch and HBP departments with adjusted averages not far below the leaders with the fewest such.
Northwestern is dead last in fielding % committing 1.75 errors a game.
You know what, after writing all this I say - let them have their home runs and then kick butt everywhere else. Let's win three.
I could argue both ways but in the end I want to think rust is a bigger deal than emotion. And I also want to think that they won't be able to avoid being rusty. Could we if we were off for two weeks?
Maybe I just talked myself into the rust side of this.
What I do know is that prior to their CO-vation they were on the skids - lost eight of nine, losing the last five games on that stretch. Games v Rutgers, Indiana, Maryland and Iowa. Prior to that mess they were 11-8 and do have wins over Indiana, Michigan, Rutgers and Illinois. Games with Penn St, Minnesota and MSU fills out their schedule.
Another thing I know is to say they have pop is to say cracking a nut with a rotten tooth hurts. Major understatements. They are seven games behind everyone else and leading the conference in home runs by a ton. We have 41 and 2nd best Michigan has 48. Northwestern has 54. So that's a lot of home runs. Weirdly, they are well behind the leaders in doubles and triples. I guess everything goes over the fence.
They are 4th in batting average (.270) just a tick behind us.
Here's a thing about their pitching, 9th in ERA (5.47), 11th in walks given and 12th in SO (walks and Ks adjusted for the missing games). They're also 10th in hits allowed (.284). They are respectable in the wild pitch and HBP departments with adjusted averages not far below the leaders with the fewest such.
Northwestern is dead last in fielding % committing 1.75 errors a game.
You know what, after writing all this I say - let them have their home runs and then kick butt everywhere else. Let's win three.
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