LSU pitching turmoil casts doubt on national title aspirations

Good pitching beats good hitting.

While that is tried and true for the most part, it is not always the case. While good hitting can sometimes beat good pitching, the original thought is most often the case.

The case for the 2023 LSU Tigers is clear. Jay Johnson has a team as good as any, if not the best team in the nation, in the hitting department. The Tigers are adequate defensively.

With those qualifications, LSU is richly qualified to earn a top eight national seed and to reach Omaha and have a shot at a national championship. There is a reason that the Tigers have been ranked No. 1 in the nation for most of the season by virtually every college baseball poll.

LSU is not as good as the best teams, even some fairly good teams, in the pitching department. The Tigers are adequate, sometimes less than adequate in that department.

Following the debacle of a series against SEC bottom-feeder Mississippi State at Alex Box Stadium, there is genuine doubt cast on LSU and its title aspirations.

For that matter, there is now, at least to a small degree, about LSU getting a top eight national seed and hosting its way to Omaha.

The Tigers have now lost consecutive SEC series weekends to Auburn and Mississippi State.

The latest failure is by far the worst this season.

That LSU blew a 13-4 lead at home in a 14-13 loss Sunday is unacceptable, a bit absurd.

That came on the heels of the Tigers blowing a 4-2 eighth inning lead in a 9-4 loss to the Bulldogs Saturday.

Ty Floyd pitched well Saturday, allowing just one run in six innings.

Then came the bullpen.

The Bulldogs ran over the matadors of the Tigers, who waved the cape and allowed the bulls to run free around the bases following hit after hit.

The leaking LSU bullpen allowed eight runs on nine hits.

Then came Sunday.

Using a mix-and-match, “Johnny All-Staff” approach, Johnson utilized nine pitchers in 10 innings.

Javen Coleman started and escaped allowing just one run in 2.2 innings. Griffin Herring got through 1.1 innings without giving up a run.

Otherwise, it was another poor performance by the remaining Tiger pitchers who took the mound.

Yes, injuries have contributed to the lack of effectiveness of LSU pitching but there are several pitchers on the staff who are not injured who came highly advertised as pro prospects, fully capable of pitching effectively, if not well for the Tigers.

To win in the SEC, the best conference in the country and to be a national championship contender, you must recruit well and you must develop talent well.

LSU, apparently, has done neither, to this point.

Johnson hired Wes Johnson, a Major League pitching coach, searching for major results that have certainly not happened to a successful degree to this point.

I have continuously remained patient while consistently waiting for the development of a host of hurlers who throw 90+ miles per hour, some in the mid 90’s.

Once again, velocity does not necessarily translate to success.

LSU pitching is failing.

The Tigers now have a collective 4.72 ERA.

Take away the brilliance of ace Paul Skenes and take a look at what LSU pitching is.

Projected as a Top 5 overall draft pick this summer, Skenes has a 1.69 ERA. The rest of the LSU staff has a 5.41 ERA.

Wake Forest, which entered the weekend as the top-ranked team in the nation, has a team ERA of 2.32.

You get the picture.

It isn’t pretty.

Maybe certain LSU pitchers will catch lightning in a bottle the rest of the way but is that truly possible?

The regular season is nearly over.

At this stage, what you have done is who you are.

What LSU is remains clear.

The Tigers are a superb offensive team.

The Tigers are an average to mediocre pitching squad.

The thunder of the bats is being offset by the lightning of laser after laser flying back at LSU defenders and over fences from pitching deliveries.

Failing any changes, Skenes has to win weekly and has to win game one of any tournament, regional or super regional for LSU to have a real shot at Omaha.

That is the current reality of a talented team trying to realized its vast potential.