It was a concern after Mississippi State. It was even more so after Auburn. And after Arkansas, it was downright alarming.
To be frank, if the Tigers want to catch Ole Miss at the top of the SEC West and find a way to win the Southeastern Conference regular season championship, they are going to have to find a way to win on Friday nights – something they did not do against the Bulldogs, Tigers or Razorbacks.
Friday night is when you are supposed to throw your No. 1 ace pitcher and the other team throws its No. 1.
Friday night is when the offense is supposed to make a statement for the rest of the weekend and show what it can do against the other team’s No. 1 pitcher.
Friday night sets the tone for the rest of the weekend, and it’s been since mid-March against South Carolina since LSU last won a Friday night game.
Of course the other weekend games are important as well, and some would argue none is bigger than the others.
But winning on Friday night takes a little pressure off the winner for the next two games and adds a little more to the loser over the Saturday and Sunday tilts.
The winner of the Friday night game finds itself in the position of only needing to win one more to take the series. The loser finds itself in a must-win situation on Saturday just to stay alive for a chance at winning the series.
Against Mississippi State and Auburn, the Tigers dropped the opening game of the series but were able to rebound on Saturday and Sunday to take both series.
But after losing to Arkansas, LSU was not able to dig itself out on Saturday and dropped the series.
My guess would be that having to intensify the focus after losing the opening game is taxing on a ball club and it may have taken its toll on the Tigers the last few weeks.
Last weekend against the Razorbacks, the wear and tear of the previous weeks of playing from behind in the series caught up with the Tigers as they were swept at Alex Box Stadium by an SEC team for the first time in 16 years.
LSU coach Smoke Laval has made a pitching change in the weekend rotation in an effort to remedy the situation, since usual Friday night pitcher Justin Meier has been ineffective in his last three starts.
In LSU’s upcoming home series against Georgia this weekend, Laval will give the ball to sophomore left-hander Jason Determann (2-2, 2.56 ERA) to open against the Bulldogs on Friday night.
Determann has been LSU’s main reliever out of the bullpen for most of the last two seasons, along with being a spot starter in the midweek games. He’s made three starts this season, including last week’s performance in a 1-0 loss against Tulane.
Clay Dirks and Nate Bumstead will follow Determann in their usual rotation spots.
Determann should keep the Tigers close in any game he pitches in, and that is what the Tigers need most right now – especially on the opening Friday night of an SEC series.