Todd's Takes: The Three Second Rule

A Work in Progress

Apologies in advance, but here's another diatribe on the new rules, etc. I think it's a bit early for MLB, writers, broadcasters and even fans to be taking a victory lap. Yes, games are shorter. We can argue about more action (homers and strikeouts being up result in less action), but at least the perceived action is happening with less time between pitches.

Therein lies my question. Are we sure we're at the optimal timing? The consensus is that it's working, but what will transpire once innings add up and the mercury rises? Will pitching suffer? Will there be more injuries? Scoring is going to go up naturally as the weather warms. Will it jump even more, adding more time to games? Many are presuming we'll see a continuation of the current game. I'm not so sure.

In addition, changing a rule based on one example is a knee-jerk reaction (I'm looking at you, Alek Manoah), but would adding 10-15 minutes to the current time of game take away all of the perceived improvements? I don't think it would.

The timers are all electronic. They don't have to start with something ending in zero or five. What if three seconds were added to all the different scenarios?

Here is some back-of-the-envelope math. Games average 295 pitches, so let's call it 300. Adding three seconds to the time adds 900 seconds, or 15 minutes. That's the worst-case scenario, since not every pitch will take three more seconds. However, the extra few seconds could help pitchers recover and avoid the Manoah-like scenarios (and probably others). The couple of extra ticks may lessen the effect of higher temperatures and tiring arms. 

I hope this is still a work in progress, and I hope MLB is open to tweaking things if warranted.

Oh yeah, three more seconds could allow networks to return from commercials without missing as many pitches.

Box Score Blitz: June 14

• ATL 10, DET 7 (GM 1): Are you sitting down? Spencer Strider may have improved his record to 7-2, but with five earned runs in five frames, his ERA is now 4.12. In fact, it's 5.554 over his last nine starts. However, his xFIP over this span is 2.88. He's been victimized by a .347 BABIP and 65.9 percent LOB mark. His 37.3 percent strikeout rate remains exceptional... Michael Harris was 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI and his 14th homer. Curiously, Harris is hitting southpaws fine, but he's struggling facing right-handers (well, before his recent uptick)... Spencer Torkelson clubbed his seventh homer... Selective endpoint alert: since May 6, Torkelson has posted a .260/.370/.443 line with a 24 percent strikeout rate. I mean, it's not All-Star level, but it's playable in mixed leagues.
• MIN 4, MIL 2: While everyone was dropping triple-digit bids on the rookie pitchers, those "settling" for Bailey Ober are not complaining. He now has five quality starts in 10 outings... Jhoan Duran pitched the eighth, ostensibly to face the heart of the Brewers order. He retired Christian Yelich, Willy Adames and Rowdy Tellez on 12 pitches, collecting his first hold while setting up Griffin Jax for his first save... Byron Buxton (ribs) should return sometime during the Twins impending four-game set with the Tigers... Brian Anderson and Luis Urias provided the Brewers offense with back-to-back solo shots. Admittedly, this is more confirmation bias than shrewd analysis, but I expect Anderson to pick things up. He's fanning more and hitting the ball with less authority, yet he's chasing less. This feels like a lack of aggression. Perhaps it's more hope than sage evaluation, but this is fixable.
• SF 8, STL 5 (F/10): There's something about a Yaz facing the Cardinals. Granddad Carl posted a .400/.500/.840 line in the 1967 World Series, and yesterday, Mike Yastrzemski tied the game with a two-run shot off Giovanny Gallegos with two outs in the ninth. For the record, yes, I was alive in '67, but I was four years old and have no recollection of the series. My earliest baseball/Red Sox memories are about three or four years later... St. Louis is already in trouble, but if Gallegos struggles, they may indeed be sellers. The main repercussion of Ryan Helsley's forearm injury isn't necessarily Gallegos shifting to full-time closer, but the weakening of the bridge to get to the ninth... It was one of those games for Anthony DeSclafani. Seven strikeouts with one walk in three frames is clearly excellent, but the punchouts were surrounded by seven hits and five earned runs... Luis Matos started in center field and hit cleanup for the Giants, but he was lifted for a pinch-hitter (Michael Conforto). The first three at-bats for the right-handed Matos came against southpaw Jordan Montgomery. Conforto was summoned to face the right-handed Jordan Hicks. Mitch Haniger is undergoing surgery for his broken right arm and may be lost for the season, so Matos is likely up to stay, but his usage will be interesting to track. 
• ATL 6, DET 5 (GM 2): The Braves gave Dylan Dodd an early five-run lead, but the rookie couldn't hold it as the Tigers scored four times in the fourth to tie the second game of the twin bill. The big blow was a three-run shot by Jake Rogers, who somewhat comically tried to frame a pitch that bounced earlier in the game.... Eddie Rosario's sixth-inning homer turned out to be the game-winner as the Braves bullpen tossed five shutout frames with Collin McHugh doing the heavy lifting with three innings to collect the win... Raisel Iglesias was unavailable after throwing 31 pitches in the opener, so Joe Jimenez worked 1.2 innings for the hold before A.J. Minter struck out Eric Haase swinging for a one-out save, his 10th... Orlando Arcia was 2-for-4 in both games and is now slashing .331/.383/.470. he entered the doubleheader with four defensive runs saved, seventh among shortstops... This is where I typically check in on Vaughn Grissom, but what's the point... OK, OK, he's slashing .340/.354/.489 in June, happy?
• TOR 3, BAL 1: To say Jose Berrios fanned only five in 7.2 innings doesn't tell the whole story. He retired the first 12 batters his faced, without any punchouts. Berrios' first strikeout was Ryan O'Hearn, leading off the fifth. He then whiffed the side in the sixth before collecting his last one in the eighth, making it five over his last 3 2/3 stanzas... Tim Mayza retired Gunnar Henderson to preserve the Blue Jays' 3-0 lead... Jordan Romano held on for his 19th save, but not before letting in a run and having the tying run at the dish... Toronto stole three bases (Kevin Kiermaier, Whit Merrifield and Daulton Varsho), which is noteworthy since Baltimore is the third best team at throwing out would-be stealers. To his credit, Adley Rutschman did nab Merrifield.
• NYM 4, NYY 3 (F/10): A day after the Luis Severino-Max Scherzer matchup fell flat, Gerrit Cole versus Justin Verlander came as advertised, as both were dominant over six innings, each yielding just one earned run. However, neither were involved in the decision with the Mets bullpen doing the better job... Brandon Nimmo was the hero, knocking in the zombie runner with a double to walk it off. Nimmo is quietly having a solid campaign, much like usual. The big question heading into the season was whether playing in 151 games in 2022 cleared him of the injury-prone label. So far, so good, as Nimmo has appeared in 66 of the Mets' 67 games. The only (minor) complaint is Nimmo hasn't significantly upped his running game, though he's swiped three bases in four chances, with a chance to challenge his career high of nine set back in 2018... Isiah Kiner-Falefa had an interesting trip around the bases after reaching on a fielder's choice. He stole second, and took third when Francisco Alvarez's throw was wild. On the ensuing pitch, Kiner-Falefa saw Brooks Raley (a southpaw) was going from the windup, so he took off and stole home.
• BOS 6, COL 3: Garrett Whitlock and the Red Sox avoided a three-game sweep in Fenway Park. Things were looking bleak, again, before the bats finally woke up, putting up a five-spot in the seventh. You know what they say, if you can't get to Austin Gomber in the first six innings, keep trying... Whitlock gave the bullpen some much-needed rest with seven innings of two-run ball, fanning seven to just one free pass... With a four-run lead, Josh Winckowski was able to secure the final six outs, giving the rest of Boston's relief corps a two-day respite before the Yankees visit over the weekend... The Rockies outfield played splendid defense all series until right fielder Nolan Jones lost Rob Refsnyder's line drive in the lights, resulting in a two-run triple, keying the seventh-inning outburst.
• TEX 6, LAA 3: In a battle of southpaws, Reid Detmers outpitched Andrew Heaney, but the Angels bullpen couldn't nail it down for Detmers as Jimmy Herget and Tucker Davidson surrendered five runs in two innings. Still, it was an encouraging outing for Detmers, as he allowed just one run in six stanzas while punching out eight. However, with Matt Moore and Ben Joyce on the shelf, the Angels need some help to get to Carlos Estevez, who has the most saves (18) in the league without blowing one... Will Smith was asked to protect a five-run lead, and he did, but not before giving up a two-run opposite field blast to Shohei Ohtani. The measurement was 453 feet, the longest opposite-field homer recorded by a lefty in the Statcast era... As they've done for much of the first half, the Rangers offense was triggered by their middle infield as Marcus Semien and Corey Seager hit consecutive pitches out of the yard in the seventh.
• CHC 10, PIT 6: Roansy Contreras' woes continued, this time as a reliever as the Cubs pounded him for five runs in just 1.1 innings. A lot has gone right in the Steel City, with Contreras being one of the few down points. Perhaps it's time for a Triple-A reset... Contreras wasn't the only Pirates reliever to struggle as the normally reliable Colin Holderman yielded three runs in just two thirds of an inning... The Cubs scored all 10 of their runs without a long ball as Mike Tauchman, Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson all recorded multiple knocks... Swanson's .756 OPS doesn't quite qualify as a bust, but more than six homers and four steals were expected at this point of the season. His defense remains excellent as he's already matched last season nine defensive runs saved. Swanson's flyball rate is down, and he's not hitting the ball with as much authority as past seasons, but he's fanning less and his walks are up, which portends an uptick in production.
• CIN 7, KC 4: Daniel Lynch took one for the team yesterday as he stayed in the game despite the Reds laying a five-spot on him in the fifth inning, extending their lead to 7-1. To his credit, Lynch followed up with two scoreless framed with the Royals scratched across a run in the sixth and seventh, but it wasn't enough... On the other side, Ben Lively evened his record at 4-4 with 5.2 innings of two-run ball, though he did scatter 10 hits... The Reds hoped to avoid using Alexis Diaz for a second straight day and the fourth time in five days, but when Daniel Duarte let the tying run step into the box, Diaz was summoned. After hitting Nicky Lopez, he retired Freddy Fermin and induced Dairon Blanco to ground into a fielder's choice to lock down his 17th save... The Reds broke out the power sticks with Stuart Fairchild, Jonathan India, Matt McLain and Spencer Steer all leaving Kauffman Stadium... Elly De La Cruz continues to get most of the attention, while follow rookies Steer and especially McLain are having solid freshman campaigns... He's clearly over his skis, but McLain's .328/.379/.516 line is impressive, particularly after posting a .634 OPS with a 45.5 percent strikeout rate after his first five games.
• HOU 5, WSH 4: Reason No. 6,231,765 why wins are a dumb stat. Framber Valdez pitched seven frames, allowing just one run. Hector Heris recorded a scoreless eighth, handing the ball to Ryan Pressly in the ninth, with the Astros ahead by three runs. Well, the Nationals rallied to tie, but since the Astros pushed across the game-winner in the bottom of the, Pressly registered his first win. I'm a traditionalist in most regards but replacing wins with innings pitched in 5x5 scoring makes so much sense... Josiah Gray pitched seven innings for the third time this season, though homers by Jose Abreu and Yainer Diaz dampened the effort... As noted on his player page, Gray introduced a sweeper into his repertoire, throwing it 26 times, with 18 strikes. This is definitely worth monitoring in upcoming starts... Don't look now, but with three homers and two doubles over his past six games, it's time to dust off Abreu and jump him back into your active lineup.
• MIA 4, SEA 1: Apparently, Eury Perez doesn't want to be sent back to the farm when Trevor Rogers (biceps) is ready to return, which could be as early as this time next week. Perez hurled six shutout stanzas in Seattle, punching out six with just one walk and two hits allowed. If nothing else, the Marlins can make sure Rogers is 100 percent and not rush him back, though the recent setback was to his non-throwing shoulder... A.J. Puk didn't qualify for a save because he started the ninth trying to keep the 4-0 shutout intact. He gave up a run on a sacrifice fly to Eugenio Suarez, but that's burying the lede as Sanchez leaped over the right field fence to bring back a potential game-tying grand slam... Luis Castillo only gave up two runs, one on Jorge Soler's 20th blast, but Castillo issued an uncustomary high six free passes in 5 2/3 innings. 
• PHI 4, ARI 3 (F/10): The Arizona Answerbacks came close, but ultimately lost to the Phillies in extras. The Diamondbacks tallied three in the eighth to knot the score, but the Phillies bullpen did the job in the ninth and tenth, giving Craig Kimbrel the win and Jose Alvarado the save. It's unclear if Alvarado will be the primary closer again now that's he's back, but his return allowed Kimbrel to work the ninth in a tie game... Ranger Suarez has quietly righted the ship as his seven-inning effort makes his ERA over his last four starts a sparkling 1.35, though he's fanned only 22 in those 26.2 innings. Still, Suarez is firmly back in the streaming bucket... JT Realmuto clubbed his second homer in three games. The .583/.643/1.583 line over this span earned the bell cow an off day for Thursday's matinee in the desert... Geraldo Perdomo is up to .297/.398/.477, with second base and shortstop eligibility. He added his seventh steal yesterday.
• TB 6, OAK 3: The Rays ended any thoughts of Oakland putting together another 20-game winning streak, though they needed to come from behind to end the Athletics run. Yandy Diaz was key with a 3-for-4 effort. Diaz hasn't left the yard since May 26, slashing just .254/.319/.302 in that span, but his hard hit rate is 54 percent over that stretch, so things will turn around soon... Tyler Glasnow picked up his second win, but his control was off with four walks in 5.1 innings... Pete Fairbanks was available, but it was still Jason Adam in the ninth, where he collected his 11th save.
• SD 5, CLE 0: Michael Wacha's 6.1 shutout innings lowered his ERA to 2.89 this season, and 3.16 over the past two years. However, he has a 4.15 xFIP in that span, so he's still just a home streamer... Four of the five Padres runs were scored via a solo blast. The long balls came off the bats of Nelson Cruz, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis and Juan Soto... Tatis also stole two bags with Xander Bogaerts chipping in with his seventh swipe... Bogaerts is hitting .310/.364/.448 in June, which is encouraging, but his hard hit rate is just 36 percent this month, so he's not out of the woods.
• CHW 8, LAD 4: Mike Clevinger was working on a shutout, but he has to leave in the fifth frame with right biceps soreness. The White Sox were leading 2-0 at the time, but the Dodgers roared back with four in the bottom of the sixth. However, the Dodgers bullpen incurred a rare blowup, allowing three runs in both the eighth and ninth... Clayton Kershaw posted another quality start, his ninth in 14 starts. There have been seasons he's been injured late, so it's premature to expect a full season, but we're nearing the hallway point, so it's natural to get one's hopes up... In nearly the same number of games, Jake Burger has a virtually identical batting average and on-base mark as last season. However, his slug is almost 150 points higher as his hard hit rate and average exit velocity are both in the 90th percentile. Not that it wasn't already, but with Yoan Moncada (back) returning to the IL, Burger will remain in the lineup nearly every day.