Time, History on Miami's Side
March 15, 2011
By: Rob Dunning
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Hurricanes aren’t off to the kind of start on the diamond fans have become accustomed to in Coral Gables and even with a pedestrian 8-8 record heading into tonight’s home game against FAU, there is little cause for concern.
As recently as 2006, the `Canes got off to a similar slow start only to wind up in Omaha later that summer. That year, UM started 6-6 and went 35-13-1 the rest of the way.
The 1997 `Canes started 11-10 and made an even more impressive run than the 2006 team, going 40-8 the rest of the way en route to the College World Series.
So is Miami’s slow start really that damning? History says no.
The Hurricanes got back on track this past weekend with a series sweep over Virginia Tech in its first ACC series of the year. The team looked like what fans were expecting before the season started.
The pitching staff was dominant, but then again they’ve been that way since the opener. The bats came alive on Sunday as UM scored a season-high 11 runs and knocked the ACC’s best pitcher through the season’s first month out of the game in the fourth.
The `Canes were working counts, moving runners over and simply playing smarter. Even the defense, which has failed UM at times last year and early this season, committed just two errors in 118 chances against the Hokies.
Sure, this past weekend was a small sample size and things could change this week or next, but there are too many signs pointing towards the `Canes righting the ship.
Lefty Bryan Radziewski and righties E.J. Encinosa and Eric Whaley are proving themselves on the weekends. They have been impressive, especially given Whaley is the only one with any kind of big game starting experience. The bullpen – headlined by lefties Daniel Miranda and Sam Robinson – has been just as good.
Scoring runs has been an issue, but the problem is solvable and Sunday was a prime example. The Hurricanes have been awfully young at times this spring one-through-nine.
Take Miami’s ugly 9-2 loss to Illinois State last week for example. UM started four first-year players, four second-year players and just one upperclassmen – Harold Martinez.
That’s not to say the young guys in the line-up are incapable, it is just a reminder that there will be growing pains.
Plus let’s not forget about injuries. UM’s leading returning hitter, Chris Pelaez, is still working his way back from a shoulder injury. Nathan Melendres, arguably Miami’s most-versatile player, missed time recently after a pitch hit his hand a few weeks back. His return to the line-up over the last two games has already paid dividends. Anyone at the park on Saturday or Sunday could see the impact Melendres makes in the line-up.
And then there are the struggles of guys like Martinez and Michael Broad, who are middle-of-the-lineup guys who just haven’t gotten it going yet.
They will.
Give it time.
We are 16 games in with 39 more to go in the regular season.
Let’s see what happens tonight at Alex Rodriguez Park, this weekend in Winston-Salem and next week against UCF and FGCU and Georgia Tech.
Let’s give Melendres more time in the line-up.
Let’s give Martinez more time.
Let’s let this thing play out.
