Posted on: Tuesday, March 15, 2005

UH knows how to spell 'relief'

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

If they wanted to award an MVP — Most Valuable Position — trophy on the University of Hawai'i-Manoa baseball team, by all rights it would be hand-delivered to the bullpen this week with considerable fanfare.

For if there has been a series that highlighted what relief pitching has meant to the Rainbows so far in this 12-8 season, it was the just-completed sweep of nationally ranked Florida State.

Two of the three wins were nailed down, if not also set up, by the bullpen. In the two games that weren't blowouts, the 7-6 win Friday and Saturday's 9-6 triumph, it was the bullpen that carried the day. The hitters finally came through and got the big bangs and the headlines, but it was the relief pitching that provided the opening to make it all possible.

It probably shouldn't be a surprise that relief pitching has been a key contributor. Coming into the season that was where both the optimism and experience had been. And, except for a couple of hiccups, the bullpen has lived up to the billing and the burden entering tonight's series opener against Winthrop.

Still, to see it be this complete, this dominating against a marquee opponent the caliber of Florida State has been an eye opener. Against the Seminoles, the bullpen allowed one earned run in 13 innings to give rise to what could turn out to be a seminal series for the 'Bows.

If the 'Bows go on to make a postseason breakthrough this year after an 11-year absence, we may come to look back on the current four-game winning streak as the turnaround event in what had been a wobbly 8-8 start.

Even in that uncertain beginning, the bullpen had done its part. "We lost a lot of 3-2 games — I don't know how many (three) but it seemed like we were always losing 3-2, and the pitchers were doing enough for us to win, we just didn't get the hits," coach Mike Trapasso said.

This time the bullpen went above and beyond the call to make sure. With UH down 6-1 in Friday's game, the bullpen held the Seminoles scoreless the final five innings to give the bats the time and the opportunity to rally. Saturday, with the 'Bows trailing 4-0, the bullpen chipped in 4¡ scoreless innings down the stretch.

It was but the latest and most illustrative of efforts by the bullpen. Among them and over the course of 27 individual appearances, the relief corps' "Big Five" of Darrell Fisherbaugh, Steven Wright, Guy McDowell, Kyle Thomas and Rich Olsen have a combined 1.62 earned run average, four saves and five victories this season.

"It is like Whitey Herzog used to say, 'what makes a great manager is a great bullpen' ... or something like that," Trapasso said. "And, we've got a pretty good one."

So far, it is a bullpen that is making a lot of people look very good.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.