GT is throwing their ace first game. This makes me feel a tad better.

studentdawg87

New member
Feb 24, 2008
1,094
0
0
I still think we have no chance to win the regional, but this has to help. Their Saturday starter, Jed Bradley, is a projected first round pick, but he hasn't been as effective as Mark Pope, their Friday night guy.
 

Mjoelner

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2006
2,554
922
113
Can you imagine if they had lost and NOT pitched their ace? Same thing goes for us and Maholm so please all of you that hang on to that please shut the ###* up and think! ***** about Polk all you want but he did what was right in that situation. Paps actually costs us the regional by not holding the lead. NOT Polk pitching Maholm on Friday.
 

Requiem For A Dawg

Active member
Dec 3, 2008
4,022
364
83
 

Mjoelner

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2006
2,554
922
113
he made the right call then. You win the game you are playing. You don't win tomorrow's game tonight. Ga Tech pitched their ace and got beat. They still have a first round draft pick going tomorrow. We pitched our ace that Friday night and won and still had a guy (who is in the majors right now) to start Saturday backed up by a 6-1 reliever with the second lowest ERA on the team and Paps. We played it right. We just lost.
 
Feb 20, 2011
752
12
18
"You win the game you are playing.  You don't win tomorrow's game tonight."

That should only apply to one-and-done or elimination game situations. I don't have the numbers in front of me but your chances of winning the regional are MUCH higher if you start 2-0 (I can do the research if you want). If you start 1-1, it doesn't matter if it was W-L or L-W, you're 1-1 and in the same boat regardless. So your goal going in should be to win your first 2 games because it gives you the best chance to win the regional. If decreasing your chance of winning Game 1 increases your chance of winning both, then you do it. It's all about playing the odds and considering matchups that give you the best chance of starting 2-0.
 

dawgoneyall

Active member
Nov 11, 2007
3,382
160
63
Pitching Maholm wasn't the right thing. Let it go. Polk 17'ed up. Feces happens. You, Polk and Bianco were/are the only people who agreed with that decision.
 

lxadawg

New member
Mar 3, 2008
291
0
0
Since we don'r really seem to actually have an "ace", this is a win-win proposition for us!
 

QuaoarsKing

Well-known member
Mar 11, 2008
4,981
1,058
113
You play to win the regional. Not just one game.<div>
</div><div>The only reason a 1 seed should ever throw its ace at the 4 seed is if one of these applies:</div><div>1. The 4 seed is legitimately good butgot screwed by the committee orwas hampered by injuries until now, or</div><div>2. The 4 seed has an unusually good ace and is throwing him at you</div><div>
</div><div>Neither of these applied to 2003 MSU/MTSU or 2011 GT/AP, and both coaches made the wrong call, a call that could potentially cost them the regional. Georgia Tech would have been much better off throwing a midweek pitcher last night, especially in hindsight.</div>
 
G

Goat 4 Eva

Guest
QuaoarsKing said:
You play to win the regional. Not just one game.<div>
</div><div>The only reason a 1 seed should ever throw its ace at the 4 seed is if one of these applies:</div><div>1. The 4 seed is legitimately good butgot screwed by the committee orwas hampered by injuries until now, or</div><div>2. The 4 seed has an unusually good ace and is throwing him at you</div><div>
</div><div>Neither of these applied to 2003 MSU/MTSU or 2011 GT/AP, and both coaches made the wrong call, a call that could potentially cost them the regional. Georgia Tech would have been much better off throwing a midweek pitcher last night, especially in hindsight.</div>
Georgia Tech has two good pitchers, it didn't matter what they did. They just *$+%@% up by getting beat. <div>
</div><div>The risk reward here, is by saving your ace for Game 2, you have the best chance to get to 2-0. But if it backfires and you lose the first game, you're *$+%@%. No clear cut way of looking at this.</div><div>
</div><div>I think Bianco made a genius call by going with Pomeranz first in their regional in 2009, therefore having him available again in the last game if needed.</div>
 
Feb 20, 2011
752
12
18
Source<div>
</div><div>These stats are for all regionals played since 1999 (the first year the current 4-team regional format was used).</div><div>First 2 games results - % of time won regional</div><div>WW - 81%</div><div>WL - 12%</div><div>LW - 7%</div><div>
</div><div>There's actually more of a difference between the WL and LW scenarios than I would have thought, but it's still nothing compared to your chances after winning your first 2 games.</div><div>
</div><div>The point is: If you want to put yourself in position to win the regional, you do whatever it takes to win your first 2 games. And sometimes the "win the next game" mentality doesn't put you in the best position to win them both.</div>
 

engie

Member
May 29, 2011
10,746
92
48
that losing your first game is worse than losing your second. Several disagreed, saying "you play the same number of games either way, so it's the same." Good find on the numbers!