Batters beware: Year of the pitcher is upon us

BALTIMORE — The faith Red Sox manager Alex Cora has shown in Franchy Cordero and Bobby Dalbec this season can be hard to understand.

Cordero’s halting swing resembles somebody trying to swat a mouse with a broom. Dalbec looks better at the plate and makes decent contact but is rarely rewarded.

Both have already endured painfully long hitless streaks.

But their continued presence in the lineup started to make more sense Friday night, and not just because Dalbec was 2-for-3 with a three-run homer in a 6-2 victory at Camden Yards.

It was what happened in Cleveland that brought it into focus.

Wade Miley, a journeyman lefty of no particular distinction, no-hit the Indians. It was the fifth no-hitter already this season if you count the seven-inning game Madison Bumgarner threw in a doubleheader, which you should.

Does that mean there will be 10 or more no-hitters this season? Probably not, but don’t bet against it.

Through Friday, majorleague hitters had a .233 batting average with a .701 OPS and were striking out 24.2% of the time. This season’s on-base percentage of .310 is the lowest since 1968, the year of the pitcher. The rash of no-hitters and plunging statistics aren’t a fluke. This is how the game is being played.

“I hate to say this is what it is, but it looks that way,” Cora said Saturday. “I don’t think it’s like the last few years when guys were hitting .210 and hitting 40 [home runs]. I don’t see that happening either.”

Consider the plight of the hitter. The opposing team has a room full of analysts breaking down data to determine how best to pitch you. If you do make contact, the defense is shifted to where you are most likely to hit the ball.

Getting the ball in the air was once a solution, but now Major League Baseball has deadened the ball to create more action on the field. So even if you crush the ball, it may not go out.

There was a time not too long ago when fans would cheer when the scoreboard radar gun registered 100 miles per hour for a pitch. Now it’s commonplace.

In short, it is becoming impossible for all but the best players to hit for average and power.

“Absolutely,” Dalbec said. “It’s so hard. Everyone throws 100. If they don’t throw 100, they have an outlier arm angle that makes it tougher … pitchers are nasty right now.”

Cora has noticed some hitters adjusting to shifts by going the other way. He believes there needs to be more of that to force teams out of shifts and make pitchers change how they attack hitters.

“Let’s see how the industry adjusts to this,” Cora said.

In the meantime, it’s time for all of us to adjust our expectations and understand that hitters like Cordero and Dalbec are getting regular playing time throughout the game. Cora has already done that, not that he has much of a choice.

“A great hitter now is what —.270, .275? It seems like it, right?” he said. “That’s way above average. I know the expectations of our guys is not to hit .270. They want to be great.”

Some have been. Through Friday, the Red Sox led the majors in runs, batting average, OPS and doubles despite getting little from the bottom of the order. Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez and Alex Verdugo allow the Sox to be patient with Cordero and Dalbec.

“The bar is lower as far as the hitters. You just have to live with what’s going on and be realistic,” Cora said.