EAST LANSING – Chase Allen has worked his way back into the core rotation of pitchers for Michigan baseball coach Tracy Smith after finding himself on the outskirts for much of the season. But despite another solid outing from the senior right-hander a recurring ailment haunted his outing: two-out baserunners.
There is no reward for being close in baseball — runs don’t count for less if there are two outs. Each batter is just as important as the last, and the third out is just as integral as the first two. But when Allen got the first two outs of an inning against Michigan State on Friday, he couldn’t put the Spartans away for good.
“(Two-out baserunners have) been a bit of our Achilles’ heel this year,” Smith said. “It’s not shutting that, getting two quick outs.”
In the first inning, Allen looked poised to build on his previous outings that earned him the Friday night starting spot in an important conference series. After easily collecting the first two outs on just four pitches in the first inning, Michigan State broke through.
Allen had the Spartans’ left fielder Nick Williams on the ropes. Down 0-2 in the count with two outs already recorded in the inning, Allen’s first frame was ready to be shut in rapid, efficient fashion. But instead, four straight balls from Allen gave Williams a free base,breathing new life into the Michigan State offense. Two straight two-strike singles plated Williams and tied the game after a clean inning from Allen seemed all but inevitable.
In a conference game at the end of the season, small mistakes are bound to punish the perpetrator. And having a batter down 0-2 in the count with two outs and walking them is one of those small mistakes.
“The first guy scored, even got two outs, 0-2 count, ends up walking and ends up scoring,” Smith said. “You know, those things hurt you.”
Allen settled in after the first inning scuffle. But still, he allowed a two-out baserunner in the second and fourth innings. Despite those runners becoming stranded on base, they foreshadowed what was later to come. In the fifth inning, the two-out baserunners impacted the scoreboard once again. After collecting another two quick outs, Allen’s ninth pitch of the inning caught too much plate as the Spartan batter launched a two-out bomb over the wall.
Those two separate two-out runs in the first and fifth frames were the only ones that Allen allowed in his seven innings of work. His statline jumps off of the page: seven innings, five hits and just two earned runs. But the fact that seven of the eight baserunners Allen allowed reached with two outs in an inning are buried within the box score. While Allen proved he could hold his own against a conference foe, his inability to close out an inning hangs over the outing. But still, Allen’s start was his most consistent of his season.
“He’s a veteran guy, goes and competes,” Smith said of Allen’s performance. “He held us in there, made it his job. He gave up two earned runs and it was a quality start.”
While Allen put the Wolverines in a position to take home the win and turned in his best performance of his senior season, putting innings away and getting that elusive third out is paramount for continued consistency, because when Allen couldn’t close out the inning, Michigan State took advantage.