Bauer says that the league has pushed pitchers into a situation of feeling rushed between inningsGETTY IMAGES
Indians P Trevor Bauer "didn't hold back" in bringing up MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred while discussing "potential risks, the option to take a fine and player safety" in response to the recent pace-of-play rule changes that give pitchers less time to warm up, according to Ryan Lewis of the AKRON BEACON JOURNAL. Bauer "isn’t a fan" of the rule that "shortened the time between innings from 2:25 to 2:05 for regular-season games." The league also "no longer guarantees pitchers that they will be able to throw at least eight warmup tosses." Furthermore, the umpire is "supposed to tell the pitcher to throw his last warmup pitch at the 25-second mark to ensure everyone is ready to go once the networks return from commercials." Following a 1-0 loss Saturday, Bauer said, "First pitch of the inning, coming out, I tried to get loose, but with the new Rob Manfred time BS that we have only a certain amount of time between innings, it’s hard to get loose sometimes, especially in conditions like that. It’s not safe, but, whatever." Bauer went on to say that he "knows other pitchers have felt rushed in-between innings this season." His bigger point "was that the league has pushed pitchers into a situation of feeling rushed." How widespread of a problem this is already is "still unknown, as not many have yet spoken out about it." A handful of changes have "already been implemented, like the clocks installed in each park that play a role in the rule with which Bauer had an issue" (OHIO.com, 4/7). In Boston, Nick Cafardo noted the new rule limiting mound visits has "certainly been felt early in the season." Catchers, in particular, have been "hesitant to make mound visits" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/8).
