Long Beach St. vs. Arizona: The Wildcats' collapse continues

The Wildcats have lost four straight games now after a 3-2 loss to Long Beach St. on Tuesday.

Dropping to a .500 record on the season (6-6) is really starting to weigh on everyone.

"Nobody's happy," said James Farris.  "There's really no emotion.  We just gotta get after it on the field every day.  We have to get better.  This has to change."

Farris, the normal Friday night starter, threw three perfect innings of relief after taking over for Cody Hamlin, the regular Saturday starter.

Box Score

Listen: Andy Lopez James Farris

If that doesn't tell you how coach Lopez feels about the stability of the pitching staff right now, I don't know what does.

But this losing streak isn't on the pitching staff.  It's on the hitters.  There is no timely hitting right now.  There are no runs being scored.  Tonight, Arizona was 0-for-7 with RISP, dropping them to 3-for-30 over the four-game stretch.

"That's kind of been our bugaboo," said Lopez after the game.  "That's been our problem, our ability to score runs when you have the opportunities."

The Wildcat batters are not playing the way you need to play at Hi Corbett, a park that rewards low line drives in the gaps, and punishes for fly balls.

"I'm not sure if they've really bought in to it," continued Lopez.  "But they need to, quickly.  You just can't slug it out at Hi Corbett.  Too big a park."

"We're not very smart offensively."

Even though Farris and Hamlin both pitched Tuesday night, they will each start in the regular spots this weekend vs. Mississippi State and UC Santa Barbara.

"We treated that as a bullpen," Farris said of the two pitchers' outings.  "I had to work on some things so instead of throwing a pen I asked if they wanted me to pitch today, and I'm glad they let me pitch today.  Cuz pitching against hitters is a lot more constructive than just throwing a bullpen."

Arizona was leading this game 3-2 in the eighth, when freshman phenom Bobby Dalbec moved from first base to the pitchers' mound for his first action as the Wildcat closer.  Richard Prigatano tied the game in the 8th with a single to left.

In the ninth, Dalbec (L, 0-1) allowed a triple to Colby Brenner, which scored Long Beach's Colton Vaughn from first.

The Wildcats and Dirtbags meet again on Wednesday at high noon.  Normal Sunday guy Tyler Crawford will start the game.  Based on tonight, can't imagine him going too deep into the game to rest him up for one of the two Sunday games Arizona has scheduled.

Gotta get this turned around, and in a hurry.