Roberts says players will adapt'
SAN DIEGO » Change is coming to Major League Baseball and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thinks he knows what the result will be.
“I just think players will adapt,” Roberts said of the rules changes to be implemented in 2023 that were voted in by MLB's competition committee Friday.
MLB hopes those adaptations will inject more action and a better pace of play into a game that often becomes bogged down by the rise of `Three True Outcome' baseball.
Most notably, the committee voted to add a pitch clock next season — 15 seconds when the bases are empty, 20 with a runner on. Defenses will be restricted from overshifting — two infielders must be on each side of second base with both feet on the dirt. Bases will increase in size and rules will be added to limit the number of pickoff moves a pitcher can make.
Roberts said he is “on board” with the changes and thinks they will be good for the game.
“I do. Yeah, I do,” he said. “The pitch clock is good because it keeps the pace of play. I think that's
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Up next: a good thing. And I think the shift ... is good in the sense that offense has been suppressed so much. If you can knock a ball through a hole to create offense, that's a good thing. And I also think it will bring in some athletic plays from infielders now that there's not as much ground to cover.”
The changes have been tested in the minor leagues and the pitch clock in particular has done exactly what it was designed to do, shaving the average time of game in Triple-A down to 2:43 (20 minutes faster than the average MLB game this season).
Relievers Heath Hembree and Justin Bruihl got a taste of the new rule when they spent time in TripleA this year. Both acknowledged being called for taking too long to deliver a pitch, resulting in a ball being added to the count.
“For me, it took some getting used to and adjusting to it a little bit, just knowing it was there,” Hembree said. “It took a few games where I wasn't really thinking about the clock. There was a period where I was thinking about the clock ticking down and trying to execute a pitch at the same time. That got tricky. But once I got in the rhythm of the time and what it was going to be, it got easier. It kind of became an afterthought.”
Hembree said he's “not against it” but thinks there will be some adjustments that need to be made to allow for high-leverage situations and controlling the running game.
Bruihl said he is “not a fan of it.”
“I did get used to it after probably a week or two. But overall, not a fan,” he said. “We had a couple situations where a ball would get called and it would dictate the outcome of a game which ... that's what scares me most about it.”
The restrictions on defensive shifts could significantly impact the way the Dodgers play. No team has been more aggressive or effective in using shifts over the past few seasons.
“It will (have an) impact. It absolutely will,” Roberts said. “But this is something that Major League Baseball, the players' side feel that it's best for the game. I'm on board. So we've got to manage within that structure. But will it affect our run prevention? Absolutely because I think right now we're one of the best if not the best. So now it kind of goes back to roster construction and guys that can play the new, non-shift type of game.”
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Muncy gets a shot
Max Muncy was not in the starting lineup Friday after hitting three home runs in the final two games of the series against the San Francisco Giants earlier this week.
Muncy has been bothered by a sore left knee for some time now and received a cortisone injection following the game Wednesday so he was unavailable to play the series opener in San Diego. Roberts said Muncy could be available off the bench on Saturday.
Muncy had an MRI of his knee “about a week ago,” Roberts said, that showed “some kind of irritation” but nothing serious.
“It's something he's been dealing with I think for like the last month and just kind of over time, got more irritated,” Roberts said. “We just felt that this was a good time to sort of nip it with the off day yesterday.”
Muncy said he thinks the irritation might be a result of the `step-back' motion he has added to initiate his swing. Since making the adjustment in late July, Muncy has hit .275 with a .920 OPS and 10 home runs