closing time

Starting pitching is the essence of a winning team, at every level, over the long term. Starters impact every game. But this isn’t to dismiss the value of a reliable bullpen. The pen can play a pivotal role — as the state’s Big 3 Division I schools witnessed over the weekend. Mississippi State’s pen collapsed on Sunday as the Bulldogs lost the rubber game of an SEC series with second-ranked South Carolina. Ole Miss’ pen suffered the defeat in both of the games the Rebels lost to Auburn in their three-game set. And Southern Miss, in a high-scoring series against Marshall, got saves from its pen in all three victories, moving into first place in C-USA as a result. State’s starting pitching faltered in the South Carolina series. The relief corps was no factor in the opening-game loss but stepped up with 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 5-3 win in Game 2. Luis Pollorena got the win and Caleb Reed his seventh save. But in Sunday’s Game 3, when starter Daryl Norris was yanked after one shaky inning, the Dogs’ pen allowed 15 hits and 11 runs in a 13-4 loss. State actually led 3-2 early on. In Ole Miss’ one win against Auburn, a 10-7 victory in Game 2, Bobby Wahl recorded the last five outs for his third save. (The Rebels clearly miss ace closer Jake Morgan, who, because of an injury, has appeared in just eight games, only two SEC games.) USM’s ace closer, Collin Cargill, notched saves Nos. six and seven against Marshall, and freshman Boomer Scarborough got his first save, tossing two hitless innings in Saturday’s series finale.
P.S. On the subject of closers, former State star Jonathan Papelbon, who’s under the gun this season with the Boston Red Sox after a shaky 2010, picked up saves on three straight nights last week for the resurgent BoSox.