Virginia led 4-0 in the fifth, but, again, issues on defense and out of the bullpen were a problem, and despite a three-homer day from Joe Tiroly, the ‘Hoos lost for the second time in three days to last-place Cal.
The 8-7 defeat drops UVA (33-18, 13-14 ACC, RPI: 23) under .500 in conference play heading into the final week of the regular season.
Wouldn’t have thought that possible six weeks ago, when Virginia was sitting at 21-5 overall, 6-3 in the ACC, with series wins over Top 5 UNC and Top 25 Wake Forest.
Not enough pitching, and not defense
This one started to unravel in the fifth. Carl Schmidt, leading off the inning for Cal (27-24, 10-17 ACC) lofted a fly ball to right that Zach Jackson misplayed into a double.
A wild pitch advanced Schmidt to third, and he came around to score on an Ethan Kodama sac fly.
With two outs, Gannon Snyder – homerless to this point on the season – hit a barrel-shot two-run homer out to left-center.
Catch the fly ball to start the inning, and none of this happens.
Fast forward to the seventh, and it’s 5-4 – Tiroly, who’d already homered in the first, and Daniel Murrillo traded solo shots in the fifth and sixth – Chris Pollard went to Lucas Hartman out of the pen.
Hartman gave up one-out singles to Brady Errecart and Kodama, then got Snyder to fly out for out #2.
Leadoff man Hideki Prather reached after begin hit by a pitch, bringing up Jett Kenady, who hit a no-doubter out of the ballpark and in the vicinity of Klockner Stadium – the grand slam traveled an estimated 430 feet, according to StatBroadcast, and put Cal up, 8-5.
Let me digress here for a moment
It was the 30th appearance of the season for Hartman, who is second on the staff, only behind #1 starter Henry Zatkowski, in innings pitched.
Can we finally concede that the bloom is off the rose with respect to Lucas Hartman?
Dating back to the 9-3 loss to Florida State on April 4, Hartman has made 13 relief appearances, over the course of which he has been touched up for 16 earned runs on 29 hits in 22.1 innings of work – for a 6.45 ERA, with a 1.79 WHIP.
Up until that April 4 appearance, Hartman had given up five earned runs in 34 innings of work across 17 relief appearances, for a 1.32 ERA, and his WHIP to that point was 0.94.
After the loss, Pollard defended Hartman, though he didn’t need to.
“I told the team after the handshake line that we do not have 33 wins without Lucas Hartman,” Pollard said. “Hartman has done an incredible job all year, and we will continue to believe in him and put him in there in big spots. Again, just credit Cal.”
For all the talk about Hartman having a rubber arm, he’s human like everybody else out there.
Problem isn’t with Hartman; problem is, there’s not really much else that Pollard can rely on to throw out there.
Senior Kevin Jaxel (21 relief appearances, 4.19 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 8.7 Ks/9) has been eating up high-leverage innings out of the bullpen all season long, but after going an inning in Friday night’s 7-4 series-opening loss, he didn’t even warm up the rest of the weekend.
Jaxel’s numbers since the start of the FSU series in early April: nine appearances, 15 innings, 4.20 ERA, 1.67 WHIP.
I don’t know what’s wrong with former setup man Noah Yoder (17 relief appearances, 2.28 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 10.3 Ks/9), but the freshman with a fastball in the upper 90s has only been used for six appearances totaling 6.2 innings since April 1.
Over that stretch, Yoder has a 6.75 ERA and 2.25 WHIP.
Maybe he’s hit a freshman wall.
By and large, Pollard is riding his starters to get at least into the seventh, then hoping he can get outs from the overused Jaxel and Hartman to get the ball to closer Tyler Kapa (1.32 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 10.9 Ks/9 in 22 appearances this season).
Back to today’s loss
Tiroly’s third homer of the game, a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh, got the score to 8-7.
Tiroly has been on an extended tear since the FSU series: with 10 homers in his last 82 at bats, with a .378 batting average, .780 slugging percentage and 1.207 OPS over that stretch.
The next batter, Harrison Didawick, walked, ahead of Sam Harris, who homered in the first, striking out, and Jake Weatherspoon and then Jackson both flying out to end the threat.
The ‘Hoos went down in order, on 10 pitches, in the eighth, but had AJ Gracia, Tiroly and Didawick due up in the ninth.
You like your chances there.
Gracia, who hit a solo homer in the fourth, was retired on a weak bouncer up the middle on the first pitch of the inning.
That’s maddening, seeing your best hitter not work the count in a one-run game in the ninth.
Tiroly, up next, struck out swinging on an 0-2 slider.
Didawick at least worked the count ahead of the final out, falling behind 1-2, lining a 2-2 fastball home-run distance, but foul by about 20 feet, ahead of flying out to right to end it.
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Chris Graham
