A Baseball Thought

[Oski]

Right now the Dodgers have runners on 1st and 2nd, one out and the pitcher is up. Score is 0-0 in the bottom of the second. A hit can potentially break the game open. Instead, the pitcher is hitting which is a rally killer. This got me to thinking:

Why not start each game with a short reliever and bat him in the nine-hole. When the nine comes up to bat, the manager puts in a pinch-hitter, and then has the "starter" come into the game.

This would serve a few purposes: 1. You can take advantage of early rally opportunities; 2. You can give your bench at least one at-bat every day. 3. If you have a weak staff, you can use this for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th starters who are likely to go 5-6 innings at best.

Furthermore, this works better if your offense is already strong. If your team can get on base 5-8, you can really capitalize by having a power hitter pinch hit in the 9. At the very least, the other team knows it has no breathing room through the first 17 at-bats.