Cubs-Marlins marathon sparks rule-change talk

MIAMI — If a game is tied after nine innings in spring training, the managers usually motion to each other from across the field that they’ve had enough and the game ends in a tie.

The Cubs played three ties this spring in Arizona, and no one paid a bit of attention.

Then came the start of the regular season, and naturally the Cubs and Marlins went 17 innings in their second game Friday night at Marlins Park, with the Marlins winning 2-1 on Miguel Rojas’ walk-off, RBI single off Brandon Morrow.

A game like that can take its toll on players, and not just relievers like the Cubs’ Eddie Butler, a former Albuquerque Isostope (2015-16) who pitched seven dominant innings only to get charged with the loss in the 5-hour, 18-minute marathon.

No one was ready for this. “We’re kind of used to playing six innings now,” Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said, referring to the regulars typically getting pulled well before the end of spring training games.

Major League Baseball has tossed around the idea of trying to end potential marathon games with a new rule that would add baserunners without the benefit of a hit or a walk.

The potential rule states that if the game is still tied after the 10th inning, both teams start the 11th with runners on first and second base. The idea is to improve the chances of teams scoring a run and breaking the tie, thus ending the game relatively quickly without overextending the bullpens.

The rule was used in the World Baseball Classic last year, and some believe it should be used in the majors to quicken the pace and save pitching staffs.

Manager Joe Maddon considers himself a traditionalist when it comes to changing the basic structure of the game. Fewer relievers are used for multiple innings in this era, especially at this point of the season, so teams can run out of pitchers quickly in an extrainning game.

Should putting men on base to start the 11th be looked at more seriously?

“I know that’s going to really be talked about,” Maddon said. “I’ve always been a purist with all this. As a manager when you’re sitting in a situation with a beat-up bullpen, it’s no fun. But I also believe that’s the anomaly game.”

BRAVES: Kelsey Wingert, a TV reporter who covers the team for Fox Sports South suffered a fractured eye socket when she was hit by a foul ball on Friday night off the bat of Philadelphia’s Odubel Herrera. She was struck while standing in the camera well past the Braves’ first base dugout. In a statement on its Twitter account, the network says Wingert was briefly hospitalized, was resting comfortably on Saturday and is expected back on the job soon.

Wingert posted an update on her Twitter account expressing thanks for the support and adding “it could have been MUCH worse.”

Wingert retweeted a photo taken of her black eye after returning home.

The Braves released a statement wishing Wingert a speedy recovery.

All 30 big league teams have expanded netting this season to protect fans sitting close to the field, extending to end of the dugouts.

ROYALS: Pitcher Kyle Lohse has signed a minor-league contract. Lohse, 39, last pitched in the major leagues with the Texas Rangers in 2016. Shortly after posting a 12.54 ERA in 9⅓ innings that spanned two starts, he was designated for assignment.

Lohse would earn $800,000 if he makes the Royals’ majorleague roster and up to an additional $700,000 in performance bonuses.