Weak bullpen throws UCLA baseball off course

Just as he did last season, coach John Savage watched his Friday night starter mow his way through seven scoreless innings to maintain a 1-0 lead against Washington.

Just as he did last season, Savage watched his pitcher allow the first Husky batter of the eighth inning to reach base.

Last year, the coach quickly strode to the mound to pull his star pitcher, James Kaprielian, seizing the opportunity to hand the game over to his lights-out relievers.

This year, Savage stood pat, allowing newly minted ace Griffin Canning to work his own way out of trouble en route to his second consecutive complete game.

It’s understandable that Savage’s strategy has changed – he no longer has the same dominant array of bullpen arms that he had at his disposal last season.

Canning’s complete game represented the Bruins’ lone win of the weekend series against Washington. In the other two games, Savage had to go to his bullpen. Each time, the relievers let him down, coughing up six earned runs in a combined 7 2/3 innings.

“The story of the series really was, you know, our bullpen not being able to throw strikes,” Savage said after Sunday’s loss. “That was really the story – just not able to come in and hold a lead yesterday and then keep them in check today.”

Last year, the Bruins locked down opponents in the late innings on their way to a 45-win regular season and a No. 1 national ranking heading into the postseason.

Each of their primary relief options boasted sparkling numbers. Both seventh-inning man Tucker Forbes and setup man Grant Dyer struck out over a batter an inning, with Forbes posting a 2.11 ERA and Dyer a 1.83. Then there was legendary closer David Berg, the all-time NCAA leader in saves, and his otherworldly 0.67 ERA and 0.85 WHIP.

“We’ve always had a very strong bullpen,” Savage said before the season. “A lot of programs, it’s starting pitching and then pray but we believe handing off to our bullpen is one of our strengths.”

Savage knew prior to the season that it would be tough to replicate last year’s bullpen success. With Berg graduating and Dyer transitioning into the rotation, UCLA would need to rely on a new cast of characters in the pen.

But Savage was confident the Bruins had the arms to do it. Side-winding freshman Brian Gadsby would fill in for Berg as the closer and redshirt junior righty Forbes would move from the seventh inning to the eighth to replace Dyer. Sophomore right-hander Jake Bird would slide into the seventh-inning role and redshirt freshman Nathan Hadley would handle the sixth.

“If we get five (innings) out of our starters, and I can sit here and tell you that, then we have complete faith in turning the ball over to our bullpen,” Savage said before the opening series against North Carolina.

The season has not gone as expected, and the bullpen is a major reason why.

Gadsby has shown glimpses of brilliance, piling up five saves and often working out of stressful situations, but he’s also been frustratingly inconsistent. Through 16 appearances, the freshman has walked as many batters as he has struck out and is sporting a 5.91 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP.

Forbes has missed time with an oblique injury and when he has pitched has been far less effective than he was a year ago, posting a 5.23 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. After walking just nine batters all of last season, he walked four on Saturday alone, surrendering three earned runs and coughing up a two-run lead to the Huskies.

“We know he’s better than that,” Savage said. “It’s tough to watch. I feel bad for him. We’re going to need him the rest of the year.”

Bird, meanwhile, has been called upon to take over the midweek starting role that was such a problem spot for the Bruins early on in the season. He’s had limited success in that spot up to this point, with 11 earned runs allowed in 10 innings, but he’ll likely continue to fill that role for the time being.

The sophomore will get the ball Tuesday at Pepperdine as UCLA looks to rebound from back-to-back losses against Washington. Halfway through the season, the Bruins aren’t in particularly good shape – they’re below .500 overall and in conference play – but it’s not too late to turn it around and make the NCAA Tournament.

“We haven’t played consistently really throughout any portion of the season,” Savage said. “I’m very disappointed just the way we’ve played day-to-day … But at the same time, we’re still in the mix. … There’s a parity throughout the league that I haven’t seen in a while.”