What Is Wrong With The Amarillo Sod Poodles?

Baseball season is underway here in Amarillo, and the excitement surrounding the beginning of the season was incredible. People were lined up and ready to watch the boys of summer take the field when the Sod Poodles made it home after opening the season on the road.

However, the excitement for the season has been a bit tempered recently as the Soddies have kind of opened the season with a loud thud.

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The team is currently sitting at a paltry 2-9 record, and while they've had several close losses, they've also had quite a few games where they've lost by at least three runs, if not more. So what seems to be the issue?

Are They Not Scoring Enough Runs

Well, if you're 2-9, then the easy answer is yes. However, that doesn't tell the full story. Out of 11 games played, the Soddies have scored over five runs in four of those 11 games. Not the greatest percentage, but it's not terrible.

You can win a lot of games by scoring four runs per game, but minor league baseball does tend to lend itself to higher-scoring games, and that's why we're going with a magic number of five.

So It Must Be The Pitching

Ok, so this is kind of a double-edged sword sort of question. Yes, there have been some less-than-stellar pitching performances so far this season. In three games, the team allowed double-digit runs to their opponent in a loss.

However, when you truly break things down a bit, the pitching hasn't been AS bad as you would think by just looking at the scores.

If It's Not Hitting Or Pitching, What Is It

One important little detail of the game is fielding. Behind the pitcher are seven guys who have to do their job if the ball is put in play. Long story short? The fielders aren't exactly doing their job.

Throughout 11 games, the Soddies have committed a staggering 21 errors. That's just shy of a two errors per game average, and it's tough to win games that way.

How Much Is The Fielding Costing Them

Remember how we talked about the pitching not being as bad as it seems? It's because they've had 19 unearned runs so far this season, and just on paper, three losses could've potentially had a different outcome if they played cleaner baseball. Say they win those three games, and the Soddies are sitting at 5-6 instead of 2-11. Big difference, right?

They've only played two games where zero errors were committed, while only four games have ended without at least one unearned run being given up.

Errors lead to more at-bats for the other team, and when you give someone an extra opportunity, they're likely to capitalize on it. The Sod Poodles opponents have definitely capitalized on the mistakes in the field.

Can They Fix The Issue

Sure they can. These are professional ballplayers. They didn't just forget how to play the game. Extra fielding practice, focus on mechanics, and making simple plays will make a world of difference.

There are still a lot of games to be played, so it's not quite panic time...but we're getting close if they don't start to fix the fielding woes.