After a 3-0 sweep to begin SEC play vs. Missouri, LSU baseball dropped a series at Texas over the weekend. LSU entered the series on a 17-game winning streak. That streak was snapped with Texas' 11-7 win on Saturday. The Longhorns stifled the Tigers' offense on Sunday to take the series 2-1. LSU leaves Austin 4-2 in the SEC.
Next up for LSU is a midweek meeting vs. UL-Lafayette in Baton Rouge. Then the Tigers will host Mississippi State for a weekend series at the Box. UL and Mississippi State, both unranked, give LSU a chance to get back on track. But first, let's look at what went wrong for LSU in Austin.
Kade Anderson delivered a dynamite performance for LSU on Friday night, but not much else went right for the Tigers after that.
Here are five takeaways from LSU baseball's series loss at Texas.
Kade Anderson delivers ace level performance on Friday night
You want your Friday night starter to be a certified ace and Kade Anderson is becoming just that. Anderson pitched six innings on Friday night, striking out eight without issuing a walk and allowing just two runs. Anderson is beginning to showcase an elite blend of strikeout stuff and command.
A pitcher who can miss bats and control the zone is hard to hit. And when Anderson does give up hits, the strikeout-to-walk ratio gives him a margin for error.
Entering Sunday, Anderson ranked third in the SEC in strikeouts and ranked third among SEC starters with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of seven. There may be some questions about the rest of LSU's pitching staff, but the Tigers should feel good about Friday night's moving forward. Few aces can match Anderson on the mound.
Bullpen crumbles on Saturday
Saturday's loss snapped LSU's 17-game win streak. The Tigers were in it until the bullpen gave out late.
Conner Ware was the first reliever in the game. He didn't record an out while surrendering a run. He was followed by William Schmidt, who gave up two hits, two walks, and a run. Schmidt recorded just one out. It didn't get better from there. Connor Benge and Jacob Meyers allowed two runs each when they got a shot.
LSU's bullpen allowed 7 runs in just 4.2 innings of work. That's not a sustainable way to win games in the SEC.
Defense not a concern for Steven Milam at shortstop
Steven Milam made the move from shortstop to second base in the offseason. That can be a challenging jump for young players, but the transition continues to be seamless for the sophomore.
Milam made several high level plays over the weekend, proving he's capable of playing shortstop in the SEC.
On the year, Milam has just two errors and has taken part in nine double plays.
Offense goes cold
The two runs LSU scored on Sunday was its lowest output of the year. LSU went cold in the back half of game two and it carried into game three.
At the top of the lineup, Derek Curiel struck out twice with just one hit. Jared Jones and Daniel Dickinson didn't supply any extra-base power from the two and three holes. LSU's clean-up hitters in the four and five spots were a combined 1-8. You aren't going to win many games in the SEC without a single extra-base hit from the top five hitters.
A two-run day is likely an outlier for this lineup. It's one of the best offenses in the SEC, and the drought won't last long. The Tigers will look to find their rhythm in the midweek contest before SEC play resumes this weekend.
Potential changes to the starting rotation
Kade Anderson is locked in on Friday night, but the Tigers' starting performances haven't been as consistent later in the weekend. Anthony Eyanson offers upside on Saturday with his strikeout stuff, and he will keep his spot in the rotation. But might LSU think about making a change on Sunday?
LSU's Sunday starter, Chase Shores, has as much talent in his arm as anyone. But coming back from injury has not been easy. In four innings vs. Texas, Shores allowed five earned runs and seven hits. He walked two and only struck out three.
On the year, Shores ERA is 4.88 with a 1.65 WHIP.
Meanwhile, LSU reliever Zac Cowan has one of the most effective arms in the SEC. Cowan, a transfer, was a starter for Wofford. If LSU decides to give Cowan a look on Sunday, the Tigers are losing their best bullpen option, but it might be necessary if Shores struggles continue.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU baseball loses series to Texas | Five takeaways from the weekend
