Puk's return to form could mean return to Gators' rotation
Sunday, March 29, 2015 | Baseball, Cross Country, Scott Carter
Gators lefty A.J. Puk had a strong outing to clinch series over Alabama. (Photo: Tim Casey)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan, looking to put away a productive Alabama lineup that threatened to win a weekend series at McKethan Stadium, went to a pitcher he turned away from earlier in the week.
O'Sullivan took sophomore left-hander A.J. Puk out of the starting rotation in the Alabama series -- Aaron Rhodes took a turn instead -- following Puk's shaky outing in a loss at Ole Miss a week ago.
Puk took the news like you might expect.
“I'm not going to lie, getting pulled from the rotation was not my favorite thing,'' he said Saturday. “I didn't pitch well last weekend. I just wanted to come out this weekend and prove myself again.”
Puk got his opportunity in the top of the sixth inning after Florida starter Dane Dunning allowed a two-run homer to Alabama catcher Will Haynie that put the Crimson Tide up by a run.
O'Sullivan immediately trotted to the mound to take the ball from Dunning and called Puk in from the bullpen. Puk struck out five of the first eight batters he faced in 3 ⅓ scoreless innings, and earned his team-leading fifth win in Florida's 7-4 victory.
Jeremy Vasquez tied the game 4-all with a solo homer in the seventh and the Gators (23-6, 5-4 SEC) scored three runs in the eighth to take the series when Puk finished off the Crimson Tide in the ninth.
“I think today was an important game for us,'' O'Sullivan said. “To stay above .500 [in conference play] and win a series at home against an older, talented Alabama team. They were hard to put away with two strikes. They were hard to put away with two outs.”
Puk had no trouble in his 54-pitch outing, his first relief appearance of the season after six starts.
He had ample motivation when he replaced Dunning. Puk gave up one hit, walked one and struck out five.
“Coming out, we were down one run, so my mentality was just to keep us in the game,'' Puk said.
Puk did that and more and now presents O'Sullivan with an intriguing option: return Puk to the starting rotation next weekend at Missouri or use him out of the bullpen.
O'Sullivan hinted at his answer after the game.
“He threw the ball aggressively,'' O'Sullivan said. “A.J. should feel good about himself moving forward. He's talented. It's really simple: just throw it in the strike zone. For us to get to where we want to get to, A.J. Puk, he should be, and needs to be, one of our starters. It's that simple. I've said that to him. I've said it to everybody.”
Puk improved to 5-2 with a 4.20 ERA. In 30 innings, the 6-foot-7 Puk has a team-leading 38 strikeouts.
He's an imposing figure on the mound. He just happened to get there from the bullpen on Saturday.
