AUBURN | Cody Greenhill hasn’t thrown a fastball over 90 mph since his foot injury Feb. 26. Richard Fitts hasn’t thrown since March 16 with the same foot injury. Jack Owen has thrown 0.1 innings this season and given up five runs.
Auburn’s projected weekend rotation coming into the 2021 season remains in limbo going into Saturday’s three-game series against Kentucky. Fitts and Owens may be available out of the bullpen but neither will start.
“It’s nice to start feeling like Jack can be back to health and Fitts can be back to health, but can they help is kinda the question,” said Auburn coach Butch Thompson. “It’s one thing to get in a game. It’s another to be able to execute and help us win a game. But I do feel like Fitts and Owen can factor in.”
The Tigers will try to reverse course at Plainsman Park after being swept at No. 4 Ole Miss to open SEC play last weekend. Greenhill will get the start Friday after throwing 7.0 scoreless innings against the Rebels.
With a fastball that was hitting 88 instead of the usual low to mid 90’s, Greenhill, relied on his changeup and breaking ball to hold OM to four hits.
“If he’s blowing and going at full speed, he may not ever get to this point,” Thompson said. “He’s really thrown a changeup to both hitters, left and right, and been able to land a breaking ball. It’s a different style but it’s amazing what you can do when your back’s against the wall and you have to figure things out.”
Mason Barnett will go again Saturday while freshman Joseph Gonzalez will make his first weekend start Sunday. Gonzalez has started once this season, holding UAB to one run on one hit in 5.0 innings with seven strikeouts. He hasn’t walked a batter in 11.1 innings, which includes six appearances out of the bullpen.
“He looks better as a starter than a reliever,” said Thompson. “He’s struck out 11 and hasn’t walked a batter. So at least I feel like if things continue in that manner that the opponent has to beat us as opposed to us beating ourselves.”
Auburn pitchers walked 20 batters in Oxford and will be without its two best left-handed relievers again in Carson Skipper and Hayden Mullins. Without those two, AU will have to continue to rely on Brooks Fuller, Cam Hill and Peyton Glavine for left-handed relief. The trio have combined for an 11.37 ERA.
“The Skipper, Mullins thing is big for us because these are the three lefties that have to continue to do good work and they know that going into this weekend more than ever,” Thompson said.
Offensively, Auburn batters struck out 36 times against Ole Miss. Thompson wants to see a better two-strike approach from a lineup that could feature more of sophomore Brayton Brown at designated hitter or in the outfield. He hit a 3-run home run against OM Sunday.
“The one player that I think has really earned a lot during this stretch, that’s been vocal, that has been competitive, that has been an encourager — seeing when things aren’t going great for you, who’s locked in, who’s fighting for the team — that would be Brayton Brown,” Thompson said.
Auburn enters the series 11-8 overall and 0-3 in the conference while Kentucky is 14-4 and 2-1 after winning 2 of 3 from Missouri at home last weekend.
The Wildcats are 4th in the conference with a .301 team batting average, 12th with 19 home runs, 12th with 117 runs scored, 2nd with 26 stolen bases, 3rd with a 2.73 team ERA, 10th with 199 strikeouts, first with 53 walks allowed and fifth with a .978 fielding percentage.
AU is first with a .315 average, 4th with 29 home runs, tied for 1st with 165 runs scored, 9th with 20 stolen bases, 13th with a 4.48 ERA, 13th with 174 strikeouts, 8th with 70 walks allowed and 4th with a .978 fielding percentage.
Game times for the series are 6 p.m. CT Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. Friday and Sunday’s games will be on SECN+/ESPN+ while Saturday’s will be on SEC Network.
