Sections

Wolverines must cut down on errors to stay in 1st

They can hit, they can pitch, but defense is what will make or break them.

Meet the Michigan baseball team, the leaders of the Big Ten.

The Wolverines are now 9-3 in the conference, two games in front of Ohio State and Indiana, after taking three of four from Minnesota over the weekend.

After getting out to a horrible 1-13 start -- falling to tough non-conference opponents -- Michigan has made a complete turnaround, winning 11 of its last 14 games.

New Michigan coach Geoff Zahn has preached an aggressive style, both at the plate and on the basepaths.

And it has worked.

The Wolverines make music at the plate, chiming base-hits left and right from their aluminum bats. And when they get on base, the Wolverines work just like Energizer Bunnies.

They keep going, and going and going.

It's true that Michigan only tallied three stolen bases in the four-game conference set. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Many times when the Wolverines reached base, Zahn called for hit-and-runs. Michigan didn't succeed in any of them, but kudos for trying. This is an effective way of manufacturing runs.

The Wolverines also capitalized on the Gophers' 11 wild pitches in the series. It seemed as if Michigan went every time the ball got by a one-foot radius from the catcher.

In the first game of the set, the Wolverines used this to their advantage. In the third inning, with Michigan's Kelly Dransfeldt on second base after his RBI double and Jason Alcaraz on third, Minnesota starter Justin Pederson threw a wild pitch that went back to the backstop. Alcaraz raced home for one run. Later in the inning, two more wild pitches -- that weren't that wild -- led to another run.

This aggressive running style led to Michigan's go-ahead run in their 4-2 victory in the opening game of the twinbill.

With Wolverine pinch-hitter Bobby Scales on third base, Kirk Beermann popped to short-center field; the shortstop retreated to grab the pop-up, squeezing the ball for the second out of the inning. But Scales immediately tagged up and sprinted toward home, sliding in safely for the run.

It was risky, but it was aggressive. And that's what the Wolverine are as a team.

Michigan took advantage any time it had a chance to run. This could make it much easier for the Wolverines to get runs on the board. And this aggressive style gives their power-hitters more at-bats and good pitches to hit.

Dransfeldt, Derek Besco and Mike Cervenak all benefited from good pitches. The threesome combined for five home runs, 12 RBI and 11 hits against Minnesota.

The meat of the order is shaping up to be one of the conference's best. If they continue their hot hitting, opponents' pitchers better beware. Don't throw them any of that over-the-plate garbage because they will hurt you.

"(The Minnesota starting pitcher) just made a mistake," Dransfeldt said, speaking of his second home run of the series in yesterday's 4-2 win. "He gave me a fastball high."

Those high, down-the-middle fastballs are what the Michigan pitching staff has avoided thus far.

The Wolverine pitching staff has been all but brilliant in conference play. Led by J.J. Putz and Mark Temple, who both pitched seven-inning complete games Saturday in Michigan wins, the hurlers pile up strikeouts, can get out of an inning in crucial situations, and keep walks to a minimum.

Against Minnesota, Putz, Temple and Brian Steinbach didn't have their best stuff. But they made the clutch pitch when needed, and that's what counts in conference games.

"I felt pretty good out there, but I didn't pitch too well," Putz said. "The team picked me up.

"I got in some tough jams and got a ground ball here and there, and my teammates turned a couple double plays for me."

When the Wolverines were on, the Michigan fielders were turning the double plays and backing up the Wolverine pitchers with solid defense.

Cervenak snagged balls hit his way at third base. Dransfeldt ran down grounders at shortstop and made strong throws to first base.

Besco nailed a Minnesota runner at the plate from right field. And center fielder Brian Bush made a diving catch on a sinking line drive.

But when Michigan was struggling, it was usually suffering from shoddy defense.

Yesterday, Dransfeldt bobbled a routine ground ball right at him. The Wolverines' Mike Haskell was called for catcher's interference when his glove got in the way of a Gopher bat.

Saturday, Bush overran a ball that fell in front of him for what should have been a single. His two-base error cost Michigan a run.

If the Wolverines want to stay on top in the conference, they must cut down on their errors -- physical and mental. After Michigan's four-game set against the Gophers, the Wolverines have a total of 54 miscues in 28 games. Dransfeldt leads the way with 13 errors.

It is true that this is a young and inexperienced team. There are only six seniors on the squad. So some errors could be written off to the team's youth.

"We're still doing some freshman things," Zahn said. "But they keep improving, and I think that this club will keep getting better."

Yes, the Wolverines are improving -- their hitting and pitching. But their fielding needs a lot of work. Michigan is in first place right now in the conference. But a first-place team usually supports its slugging and pitching with solid defense.

If the Wolverines don't want to fall back to the middle of the pack, the "E" must stay off the scoreboard. If Michigan succeeds in doing this, it could be one happy and successful season for Zahn and the Wolverines.