Brian O’Connor won a national title at UVA in 2015 with maybe his fifth or sixth best team. So with the Cavs limping to an 18-12 start, fans might be inclined to think that, hey, it’s Oak, he’ll figure it out, no reason to worry.
There might be reason to worry.
The reason: pitching.
The team ERA is 4.50 after Tuesday’s 7-5 loss at VCU. Starter Daniel Lynch, who opened 2016 as a weekend starter, and was relegated to weekday status last week, lost his second straight weekday start, falling to 1-3, with a 5.34 ERA, with a ghastly 1.625 WHIP.
Tommy Doyle is still starting on the weekend with a 1-4 record, 5.44 ERA, .286 opponent batting average and 1.548 WHIP.
Closer Alec Bettinger is 0-4 with a 5.40 ERA, .316 opponent batting average and 1.800 WHIP.
Ouch, dude, those numbers.
Adam Haseley (6-0, 1.42 ERA, .191 opponent batting average, 1.042 WHIP) and Connor Jones (5-1, 2.66 ERA, .236 opponent batting average, 1,225 WHIP) are getting the job done at the top of the rotation, but they’re pretty much it right now.
There is hope with setup man Kevin Doherty (1.68 ERA, .194 opponent batting average, 1.118 WHIP) and Jack Roberts (2.13 ERA, .125 opponent batting average, 1.342 WHIP) consistently getting outs. Roberts, in particular, has closer stuff, with a plus fastball, but he’s too wild (12 BB in 12,2 IP) to be trusted in the ninth right now.
But O’Connor may have to go to Roberts with Bettinger proving to be utterly unreliable at the back end.
The issues with the third and weekday starters and the back end of the bullpen are wasting solid production from the offense, which is third in the ACC in batting average (.310) and fifth in runs (202).
That’s your reason not to worry. If and when O’Connor gets the pitching thing figured out, and when has O’Connor not gotten the pitching thing figured out, the offensive production seems to suggest that the ship can get righted.
The problem for O’Connor is he isn’t in MLB, where he can just call up some kid from the farm or have his GM swing a trade for an arm to stick out in the bullpen at the deadline.
Oak has what he has, so it’s either going to take some shuffling of the deck, or just having a guy figure out what he needs to do, and then doing it.
Again, he did it last year and brought home a big trophy, and that hat I’m wearing in the photo with this story, that’s because he was able to get the job done.
Column by Chris Graham
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