To say the LSU bullpen has been a point of concern throughout the season would be an understatement to say the least.
With the massive number of injuries within the bullpen and inconsistent play from the active depth that remains, it was bound to face a situation its offense couldn’t get it out of sooner or later.
The week it was announced that Garrett Edwards, arguably LSU’s best reliever, would be missing the rest of the season due to a UCL tear, it finally endured its first series loss of the season at Auburn. That was the third UCL tear the pitching staff has experienced, and sixth pitcher to be knocked out for the season.
While things started off well for the bullpen this weekend, even that game foreshadowed what was to come.
Paul Skenes struck out 15 batters and allowed zero runs through 7.1 innings pitched, and Nate Ackenhausen and Thatcher Hurd kept Auburn off the scoreboard through the last 2.2 innings to secure LSU’s first shutout of SEC play. But that came in a game where its offense attributed just three runs on five hits.
Auburn’s pitching staff largely held the Tiger offense at bay throughout the series, allowing 11 combined runs (nine earned) and pitching a combined strike-rate of 64%.
LSU was bound to get stifled sooner or later, as its 10-game streak with seven or more runs in SEC play wasn’t sustainable despite their offensive proficiency. It just so happened to come amidst a series where its pitching depth consistently struggled.
After briefly re-obtaining its lead with two runs in the fifth of game two, a sixth inning where LSU switched pitchers twice ultimately concluded with four runs going the other way. The combination of Javen Coleman, Bryce Collins and Riley Cooper surrendered three RBI singles, issued two walks and hit a batter, as the War Eagles acquired a lead and never lost their grasp on it.
Then, their pitching woes reached a boiling point in game three.
Amidst a torturous series finale for Tiger fans everywhere, they tied their worst defensive start of the season, as starter Christian Little and freshman reliever Griffin Herring gave up six runs without getting a single batter out.
They would’ve trumped that prior first-inning performance against Tennessee had it not been for freshman Gavin Guidry pitching two strikeouts and getting out of the inning without surrendering another run.
Guidry and Cooper notably played alright, surrendering six runs through 7.1 innings. But combined with a near-null performance from their offense, it was nowhere near enough to get back into the game.
This wasn’t by any means the only time its bullpen has put the team in a rough spot, with those problems being especially apparent in its previous series against Alabama.
Against the Crimson Tide, it narrowly collapsed in the final inning of game one before its offense had to come back from deficits of five and four respectively to pull off the sweep.
In that series, along with the one against Kentucky, it averaged over 10 runs per game and still narrowly escaped with series victories in each.
It’s a wonder LSU was able to make it as long as it did without slipping up in SEC play, a point that would remain true whether they endured those injuries or not. The Tigers made it through their first seven series in the toughest conference in baseball without dropping one, allowing them to maintain their No. 1 ranking for the first three months of the season.
There’s a small chance LSU maintains that spot come Monday considering how incredible its season has been, but it’s hard to imagine Wake Forest not jumping it after claiming a ranked series win over No. 19 Boston College. As it stands, the Demon Deacons are the only Power Five team remaining that hasn’t dropped a series this season.
Either way, it enters the last stretch of its season with a lot of concerns surrounding its bullpen. Consistency from its pitching depth could be the difference from it prospering or faltering come postseason and at the moment, there isn’t a massive amount of confidence regarding that part of their roster.
