MLB unlikely to institute a pitch clock in 2015 - MLB

Jon Morosi of FOX Sports is reporting that MLB is “highly unlikely” to adopt a pitch clock for the 2015 season. The pitch-clock rule was being tested in the Arizona Fall League, which stipulated a pitcher had 20 seconds between pitches to get the ball back, get his sign from the catcher, and begin his delivery. Morosi says that the rule has insufficient support among Major League Baseball and the Players Association.

The starting pitchers that would have been most affected by the implementation of such a rule, using “pace” data from FanGraphs:

David Price, Tigers: 26.6 seconds between pitches
Jorge De La Rosa, Rockies: 26.0
Clay Buchholz, Red Sox: 25.6

And relievers:

Joel Peralta, Rays: 32.1
Junichi Tazawa, Red Sox: 31.8
Tony Sipp, Astros: 30.3
Joaquin Benoit, Padres: 30.3

Some other rules will be up for consideration when MLB owners hold their quarterly meetings in Arizona, including a possible amendment to Rule 7.13, a rule stipulating that runners have to slide directly into second base in an attempt to break up double plays, and a one-foot-in-the-batter’s-box rule.

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CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”