Here’s a look at Georgia’s series loss at Florida, the first SEC series defeat for the Bulldogs this season. Looks like their pitchers had some control problems and issued a lot of walks. Sometimes you have to work a wild pitcher a little bit and coerce him into a walk. I think there’s a difference in doing that and going to the plate and hoping for a walk.
– PA
Ole Miss RB Bruce Hall has signed a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills. Other deals will likely follow, but none have been announced yet.
– PA
It wasn’t stunning that Ole Miss tailback BenJarvus Green-Ellis wasn’t drafted, but I thought he may have a shot at being a late second-day pick.
Lots of guys are really good college players, but that doesn’t translate to pro potential, and the draft is all about potential.
Being a really good college player can have as much to do with team needs and chemistry as much as anything else. After transferring from Indiana Green-Ellis sat out 2005 and became eligible in 2006. No player on the roster could touch him in terms of major college experience.
Speed hurt Green-Ellis in the draft. One thing that made him such a good college player was his work ethic.
Green-Ellis was such a dependable player that Ed Orgeron was reluctant to take him out of the game, something that has been costly in the development of current tailback Cordera Eason.
The last time Ole Miss did not have a player drafted was 1999.
– PA
Here’s how it shapes up with nine games to go. Lots of work to be done for Ole Miss to make the SEC and NCAA tournaments, much less host a fifth-straight regional. Six of nine on the road for the Rebels beginning this week at Georgia.
– PA
East
Georgia 29-14-1 15-5-1
Florida 27-16 12-9
Vanderbilt 31-13 11-9
Kentucky 33-11 11-10
South Carolina 31-14 11-10
Tennessee 25-19 11-10
West
Ole Miss 28-17 11-10
Alabama 25-21 10-11
LSU 28-16-1 9-11-1
Arkansas 26-18 9-11
Auburn 24-21 8-13
MSU 18-26 6-15
In retrospect, perhaps Ole Miss should have petitioned the SEC to skip the third game altogether and not just move it to late Saturday.
It’s a bit of a brainteaser as the why the Rebels can’t seem to generate offense in the third game of an SEC series. Only once have they surpassed the four runs they scored in last night’s (nearly this morning’s) 12-4 loss to Arkansas.
Even more insulting is the way the Razorbacks, 12th in the SEC in batting average, handled Ole Miss pitching. Rebels coach Mike Bianco and his players described it as facing an Arkansas team that was really “locked in” at the plate (which translated means focused) and got off its best swings.
There’s no doubt a measure of truth in there, that isn’t all there is to it. Was there not a pitcher on the Ole Miss staff yesterday who was locked in to his game as well?
Drew Pomeranz was due for a sub-par outing somewhere along the line. The freshman lefty gave up eight earned runs in his five innings, a figure that would not have been as high if the right side of the infield could figure out bunt defense.
A lot of people are ready to throw Cody Satterwhite under the bus. He looked far from effective again, but the bottom line is only three runs had touched home when he left after 4 2-3 innings. The Razorbacks would score nine more runs after Satterwhite was gone.
Relief pitching was shaky all day Saturday, the possible exception being Jake Morgan’s stint after Pomeranz.
Ole Miss had a three-game lead in the West when play began yesterday. The only thing for certain now is that lead is 1 1/2 games over Arkansas. We’ll have to see how things shake out today after weather and Sunday results.
This was an absolutely huge series for Ole Miss to lose. Only one home series remains, and there’s a road trip to SEC-leading Georgia, led by a lights out bullpen, next week.
– PA
First Inning
Arkansas batting
Not a good start for Satterwhite, who gives up a leadoff home run to Leavitt and walks in a run later in the inning. Rebels are glad to be down only 2-0 right now. Hogs left the bases loaded.
Ole Miss batting
Fuller Smith doubles but gets caught in a rundown for the second out. Overbeck doubles off the wall in left-center, but Power is thrown out at home trying to score from first. How many times do you have two doubles in one inning and not score?
Arkansas 2, Ole Miss 0
A few lineup notes here, as we’re about 7 minutes out from the first pitch. Jordan Henry, with 4 hits in his last 6 at-bats, is indeed back in the lineup as the right field starter. Left batter Cullan Kight is starting at DH and batting in the 7 hole against Arkansas right-handed pitcher Justin Wells. Tim Ferguson is at short today for Ole Miss.
Arkansas has a new leadoff hitter today, Sean Jones, a righty playing in right field is batting .167. That gives the Razorbacks sub-200 hitters at the top and bottom of the order.
Follow along in the comments section and post your own notes and observations.
– PA
Ole Miss and Arkansas will play two games today, the first beginning at the regularly scheduled Game 2 time of 4 p.m. The second will begin 40 minutes following the first. Word of this possibility began circulating yesterday, but had to first be approved by the SEC.
– PA
We’re about 10 minutes out from the first pitch. Couple of lineup notes. Fuller Smith remains in left field for Ole Miss, which means Jordan Henry is not starting. Freshman Logan Williams is, however. After his big week he gets a start at DH in the 7 hole.
Arkansas is hitting just .287 as a team. The Razorbacks have three 300-plus hitters in the lineup, one of them DH Jeff Nutt at cleanup at .373. The 8- and 9-hole hitters are batting .225 and .186 respectively.
Perhaps Lance Lynn will be on tonight, and the Rebels can generate some runs to support him.
Follow along in the comments section and post your own observations.
– PA
It appears all systems are normal here. I got back from the Wellness Center and from Wal-Mart after the lengthy grocery list compiled by my lovely wife and was excited to see everything on go. I was dreading having to get on the phone with ATT and going through the process of finding a person.
I see a question below on Cody Satterwhite and whether he’ll retain his starting job. I think control isn’t a strong suit for Satterwhite and that he catches too much of the plate with his fastball at times.
I don’t see him coming out of the rotation, however. I think the roles are pretty much defined on the staff. There’s no hot shot in waiting who might be better. Bittle could be a starter and could be pretty good, but right now Satterwhite is pretty good. Bittle has done a great job in a combined long relief and closer role, not flawless but far better than last year, so that role is taken care of. Why mess with that and take a chance on both players being average?
Remember too that in three of Satterwhite’s four Sunday starts (Alababma, LSU, South Carolina), Ole Miss has scored a total of five runs.
I think the greater concern is offense, and I’m curious to see if any progress is made on that front this weekend. Arkansas has been pitching it pretty good lately.
– PA
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