3 up, 3 down: Noles complete sweep of Grizzlies

Florida State finished off its weekend sweep of the Oakland Grizzlies by a 14-6 score. What went right and wrong?

3 Up

1. While FSU has struggled against most starting pitching this year, the ’Noles scored runs early and often against the Oakland pitching staff. Runs in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd innings gave FSU pitchers a comfortable margin to pitch behind. Even when Florida State didn’t score, they put pressure on the Oakland defense, often putting at least one runner aboard. Freshman Tyler Daughtry was the star going three for three on the day, while reaching base all five times he came to plate (two walks). He added three RBI and three runs. He also stole a base (the ’Noles are now 15-15 in that category on the young season).
2. Dylan Busby has been in a funk to start the year, but the senior went 2 for 3 on the game with a pair of walks, pushing his average above the Mendoza line (.200) for the first time this season. FSU is going to need good production out of Busby this year if it’s going to make a deep postseason run. He even stole home while the Grizzlies were not paying attention in the eighth inning (double steal with Daughtry).
3. Jim Voyles actually looked like the pitcher FSU fans and coaches were expecting him to be this year. While Voyles did give up a pair of hits and an unearned run, he struck out 5 and only walked only one over three innings—a far cry from the results he’s shown this year. When balls were put in play, they weren’t hit well. Hopefully Voyles will retake the closer role, or at least be the dependable middle reliever he was last year. Alec Byrd and Drew Carlton closed out the pen’s performance with two strong innings of work.

3 Down

1. Stupidity. Be it coaching or poor situational awareness this is not a particularly smart FSU team. Busby had 2 errors on the day with one being an unnecessary throw behind the runner at second after a line drive out. That runner scored on Busby’s misplay. Cal Raleigh also gave up a run by throwing a ball into left field trying to pick off a runner just three feet from the base with two outs. Jackson Lueck badly misplayed a line drive in left field resulting in a run. JC Flowers tried to bunt two times unsuccessfully as he couldn’t get the ball to the correct side of the mound. Asking a player to bunt in those situations is probably worse than his execution, though. It’s made all the worse when Rhett Aplin (slugging over .700) is asked to bunt. All-in-all, FSU survived despite its baseball IQ, not because of it.
2. Drew Parrish looked good last Sunday against Samford in his first start, giving up just 1 run over six innings, while striking out six and not giving up a walk. But things were a bit different against the Grizzlies. Parrish only lasted four innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits, while walking two and striking out five. You expect up and down games from a freshman, so it’s not a huge concern at this point, but FSU cannot afford any weak spots in its starting rotation, as you can’t lean on a shaky bullpen.
3. It was a day to forget for Lueck. An error in the field and a one for five performance at the plate is certainly not what fans have come to expect from the sophomore. Lueck showed his frustration by slamming his bat to the ground after an eighth inning strikeout, stranding a runner in scoring position. In the end, it’s just one game and fans should expect to see good at bats from Lueck.

The ’Noles return to action this Tuesday, traveling to Orlando for a two-game series against the University of Central Florida Golden Knights, before returning to Tallahassee for a home stand against Boston College.