MLB Insiders Roundtable: Long games, short starts and impressive performances

ByESPN MLB INSIDERS
October 21, 2016, 9:30 AM

— -- Are postseason games too long? And if they are, how should that be changed? Are starters pulled too quickly these days? Who's impressed, and who has made you scratch your head? We asked. Our experts answered:

Are long postseason games becoming a problem, or because it's playoff baseball, is it acceptable? If it is a problem, what are some things that can realistically be done to shorten them?

Jim Bowden: It's not a problem for baseball people or the avid fan, but it is a huge issue for the millennials and young people the game needs to attract. In my opinion, the sport should be aggressive in making drastic changes to reduce the time of games and improve pace of play for regular and postseason games. Here are some of the proposed changes I am in favor of:

1. Eliminate pitchers having to throw four balls for intentional walks.
2. Eliminate catchers' and pitching coaches' visits to the mound and make pitching changes automatic when they do.
3. Use a pitch clock.
4. Pitchers have to face a minimum of three batters unless injured. If injured, they have to sit out next three games.
5. Instant replay must be decided quickly in the control center with just one umpire assigned to one game. Make sure he has already seen the play from multiple angles when instant replay is asked for. He makes his decision, and with an IFB (an earpiece that the umpires would use), informs umpires who stay at their normal position.
6. Reduce time between innings and replace some commercials with in-game ads.
7. Hitters must stay in batter's box, and it's enforced.

Keith Law: The problem is the commercials and other TV timeouts. If MLB actually wants to address the issue, they will have to somehow convince broadcasting partners to give up revenue. Best of luck!

Dan Szymborski: Well, the networks certainly won't cooperate with shortening the commercial breaks, and outside of enforcing a pitch clock, there's not a whole lot that's really practical for baseball to do. My personal favorite thing, which would indirectly reduce pitching changes, would be to set roster limits for pitchers and batters (with maybe a flex position for someone like Micah Owings). I don't think the endless specialization of pitchers (this guy is our eighth inning one-out lefty, not our seventh inning one-out lefty!) makes for a better sport. At the very least, have pitchers warm up in the bullpen so pitching changes don't destroy the game flow. Can you imagine how long an NFL game would take if there was a 10-minute break every time they had to swap in their third-down running back?

Are managers relying too much on their bullpens, and should they expect more from their starters?

Bowden: The ace starters like Clayton Kershaw and Jon Lester will always be allowed to pitch deep into games. However, with most other pitchers, by the time they get to the third time around the lineup, hitters have seen them twice and often their stuff declines. Most of the time, managers now have better options in those sixth and seventh innings with fresh power arms. Clearly, managers are only taking starters out earlier because they feel they have better options with their bullpen that third time around. I only expect more from our starters if they're capable of it.

Law: It's a new paradigm that started a few years ago, quietly, when the Rays decided to make their non- Chris Archer guys only go through the order twice. It's only going to spread, although its use is more extreme in the postseason due to elimination games and added off days.

Szymborski: With the increased specialization and giant roster size of bullpens, I think this is inevitable. Starting pitchers pitch 30-40 OPS points worse each additional time through the lineup. With these bullpens that feature a Sgt. Pepper's-album-cover-sized cast, teams have ample motivation and few consequences of going to the bullpen early.

Which players have impressed you the most this postseason?

Bowden: In the American League, Andrew Miller has been the most impressive player this postseason and clearly has become one of the best trade-deadline pickups in baseball history. His dominant stuff and willingness to pitch anywhere in the game have been a difference-maker. In the National League, Clayton Kershaw has been the most impressive after his ninth inning save in the National League Division Series and the seven shutout innings he threw in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.

Which players have disappointed you the most?

Bowden:? Kenta Maeda disappointed me most going into Game 5 of the NLCS. He doesn't trust his fastball and has become slider happy. He needs to make adjustments and attack hitters better. He needs to establish his fastball command while pitching ahead in the count.? Pedro Baez?has also disappointed me because he couldn't bring his regular season dominance into the postseason on the biggest stage.

Szymborski: Maeda. Earlier this year, he was such a big part of stabilizing a Dodger rotation that was ravaged with injuries. As a big fan of Nippon Professional Baseball, I was hoping he'd be able to showcase his talents a bit in the playoffs; he's gotten surprisingly little press relative to what he's done this year. But he was hit hard at the end of the season and just doesn't look sharp at all this postseason, so he may just be worn out by the longer season.

Can the Indians beat the Cubs in the World Series? If so, why?

Bowden: Of course the Indians can beat either the Dodgers or Cubs in the World Series. Any team can win short series as has been proven over the years. However, they're going to be considered underdogs, because outside of Corey Kluber, the rest of their rotation will not match up favorably with their NL counterpart.

Law: Sure. Any team good enough to make the postseason can beat any other team that makes it. The Cardinals won 83 games in 2006 and won the World Series. The 1987 Twins won 85 games, were outscored by their opponents and won the World Series. If the Cubs make it that far, they wouldn't be more than 55/45 favorites over Cleveland for me.

Szymborski: Sure. Even the Twins can beat the Cubs in seven games, simply because the difference between a great team and a horrible team is smaller in baseball than in any other major sport. The Cubs hitters aren't unstoppable, and they hit much better against lefties than righties this year, and the Indians have only had two starts by lefties all season ( Ryan Merritt had one start during the season and then the one in Game 4 of the ALCS). No doubt, the Cubs are favored, but any team remaining is going to have more than a fighting chance to pull off an upset. People simply overrate the probability of the better team winning any game or series.