Right now, it's 6-5 in the top of the 8th. 7 good starts, one bad, not bad at all. Expect his line to be 5 IP 4 ER or so.

Right now, it's 6-5 in the top of the 8th. 7 good starts, one bad, not bad at all. Expect his line to be 5 IP 4 ER or so.

4 ER still isn't absolutly terrible. I like how he's pitching so far down there.

 

CWSOX45

Here's the line.............

                                 IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR

N Cotts                            3   3   4   3   5   4   0

Add 81 pitches in 3 innings on top of it.

This is so Cotts...At ISU, he'd have a string of stellar performances, have one or two games where he'd give up a little over the norm, then get back to another string of stellar performances.

This is so Cotts...At ISU, he'd have a string of stellar performances, have one or two games where he'd give up a little over the norm, then get back to another string of stellar performances.

Unfortunately, high pitch counts have haunted him all year. As stellar as he has been pitching, he still hasn't gone more than 6 innings. He'll have to learn to get more outs early in the count and stop going 3-2 on almost every hitter or else he will struggle at higher levels.

 

It's not the runs and hits I am worried about at this point. It is the walks and inability to go more than 5 or 6 innings per start even when he is dominating that are alarming.

Rex, I respect your posts. Seems you know your stuff. I've been keeping a wary eye on that pitch count/bb situation, also. He has to learn to let the hitters get themselves out or he'll never make it to the show. I haven't seen Cotts, of course. But, you can tell a lot from boxscores.

Unfortunately, high pitch counts have haunted him all year.  As stellar as he has been pitching, he still hasn't gone more than 6 innings.  He'll have to learn to get more outs early in the count and stop going 3-2 on almost every hitter or else he will struggle at higher levels.

 

It's not the runs and hits I am worried about at this point.  It is the walks and inability to go more than 5 or 6 innings per start even when he is dominating that are alarming.

This is going to kill him when he gets to the higher levels. Players are going to better recognize the break on his pitches and lay off of them. It is the same problem that guys like Garland have had when they get to the bigs.

 

Neil is going to have to dramatically drop his walk totals or he will be in trouble at the major league level.