Have any recent ballpark changes had any effect on the number of home runs? I know Seattle’s used to be extremely pitcher friendly so they moved their fences in after 2012. I don’t think I would be opposed if there were a trend pushing fences back. Might make things difficult for certain corner outfielders finally leading to the…designated hitter for all!
The Cubs started the 2018 season with nine road games. Ten were scheduled but one was delayed by weather.
The pitching so far this year has just been… I want to say catastrophic but I fear that’s a terrible understatement. But early days yet…
Yeah, it’s a very small base at this point, but their pitching really has been terrible. The team ERA is currently at 7.85, WHIP is 2.11.
I just heard on the radio that they’ve made several roster moves today, all in the bullpen. They sent Carl Edwards Jr. (0-1, 32.40 ERA :eek: ) down to AAA, and put Mike Montgomery on the 10-day injured list. They brought up AAA pitchers Allen Webster and Kyle Ryan; since Webster wasn’t on their 40-man roster, they had to designate pitcher Jen-Ho Tseng (not currently on the MLB roster) for assignment.
In recent years, I don’t think that there have been major changes in that regard (though I may well be wrong). I’ve seen speculation that the ball is a little livelier now, but I think that more batters actively trying to hit the ball in the air more often (and more use of video and computer tools to help them optimize their swings) is probably the primary driver behind the home run explosion.
wow the brewers and phils in first place ……is it me or in the right and true baseball league (also known as the national league) some of the anointed ones (except for the dodgers of course) aren’t doing so hot although its still hugely early
Now that ive shared my thoughts with my commode on that idea it does bring a question to mind
Say youre in the right and correct baseball league as opposed to that other thing( 
)
And you have a dynamite pitcher that can hit hrs and you want to use him when hes not pitching can you assign him to say 3rd base until his turn in the rotation ? or are you forced to choose?
I don’t think there’s any rule against it, but I’ve never seen it done. It’s not too terribly uncommon for decent-hitting pitchers to serve as pinch-hitters on their days off, though.
Well, you know that guy Babe Ruth use to play RF when he wasn’t starting for the Boston Red Sox, once he was traded to the Yanks he was pretty much just an Outfielder.
Since 1919 it has been pretty rare.
Last year Shohei Ohtani was used as both a pitcher & a DH. Before he got hurt there was some talk of him playing the outfield some games.
Damn, Redlegs fall to 1-7. Let’s not get into the black hole of losses we got into at the start of last season, please.
Carlos Zambrano was used quite often as a pinch hitter while with the Cubs.
The good news for the Cubs is that they got a win tonight, beating the Brewers 14-8.
OTOH, they did give up eight earned runs, and their team ERA went up a smidge, to 7.87. 
Aaron Boone really isn’t a very good manager. I know a lot of decisions are coming down from above his head in this modern era (error) of GM puppet masters but I feel like the Yanks won despite some poor in game decisions by Boone.
Complaints:
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While Clint Frazier is up here, he should be playing every day. Even if Tauchman has some sort of upside, Frazier’s upside is much higher. (Though this could have come down from above)
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Gardner is the longest term Yankee and well liked by the fans but he isn’t really the player he was and probably should be moved out of the 1 hole for someone like LeMahieu or Torres until Hicks gets back.
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In general many of the younger Yanks seem ill-prepared for odd plays this year, Joe Girardi I understand was a bit of a drill sgt but it appears Boone is more like a substitute teacher. I’ve seen the Yanks advance too far on a fly ball, get caught sleeping off the bag, screw up infield fly rule plays, etc.
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I don’t like the 3 man bench of the AL, but it is a reality currently. In the 6th with bases loaded, Boone sent Frazier up to bat for Tauchman, good idea. Sadly this is when Sanchez let himself be picked off of 3rd and Frazier delivered a strikeout. So now 2 outs and Boone decides to use Urshela to pinch hit for Wade. With 4 more defensive innings left to play, Boone left himself only a backup catcher (Austin Romine) on his bench. Oh Urshela made the 3rd out.
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Odd moves, Holder had already pitched 1 2/3rds so off course Boone will start Ottavino with a clean 7th. Wait Holder is on the mound?
WTF? -
Ottavino came in relief of Holder and thanks to a Bird error, the inning got ugly but Ottavino got out of the inning. OK, 8th inning, will it be Green or Britton with the Yanks back in front thanks to a Frazier 3 run homer! The answer is Ottavino starts the 9th and got in trouble so Green relieves Ottavino with runners on. Thankfully he got the Yanks out of this jam.
I agree with everything you wrote. I’d like to see Lemahieu in the leadoff spot until there’s a reason to bat him elsewhere. Bringing Holder back in after he’d already thrown 30 pitches was idiotic. Also, Boone needs to let veterans like Happ pitch out of trouble sometimes. Taking the starter out in the fifth inning every day is going to kill the bullpen…the Yankees greatest strength.
Seattle has scored a lot of runs on the road, too, so I think they’re just hot.
Right now American League scoring levels are kind of low. The NL is weirdly high.
For clarity, my post was pondering the rise in the rate of home runs the past few years, not this year specifically, and figuring park effects probably pale in comparison to the emphasis on launch angles anyway and if larger dimensions could be a way of countering this.
1- Clint Frazier still has great potential. I’d like to see the team stick with him.
2- I like Gardner too. But he’s getting close to his sell by date.
3- I jumped off the couch when the Yankees got confused on an infield fly rule. I would be disappointed if it happened in class A. But in the MLB? It should NEVER happen, no matter who manages.
4- I despise the lack of a bench in the AL. Pinch hitting is a lost art. Pinch running is almost unheard of. Why oh why so many fucking pitchers? Why not go to 40 man roster all year?
5 & 6- With all the fine relievers on the bench, Chapman is given too many closer innings. Spread the wealth around.
Well, I think it’s inevitable pushing fences back would push down home run rates. It’d have to, right?
I would personally like that. Pushing fences back would not only reduce home runs, but would likely uptick doubles and triples a little, and maybe a few more base hits to offset the decline in batting average you would have in converting a few homers to fly outs. MLB does not really need the average team to hit 180-190 home runs a year while batting under .250.
The challenge is, of course, a physical one; it’s not always architecturally feasible to move the fence back much.
The one really radical rule change I would wholeheartedly support is a significant pitchers-per-roster limit. One of the analyst sites, maybe BP but maybe Fangraphs, had a really good set of proposed rules to bring it down to 10 pitchers plus an emergency pitcher. There would be a great many benefits.
That’s a far better solution than forcing pitchers to face a certain number of hitters, imvho.
Yeah, let’s move that Wrigley fence back. 
ok so my future telling was a bit off it was 12-6 I had the winner right but blew the point spread