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70 PLAY BALL BAY AREA NEWS GROUP losstotheCubs.Heenteredthe night with just one run allowed in 25 1/3 innings that postseason. There was also the Dodgers' Kenley Jansen, who took over in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the NLDS against the Nation - als and pitched 2 1/3 innings before handing it over to Clayton Kershaw to nail down the save and series victory. He later had a two-inning save in the NLCS against the Cubs and went three innings in the decisive Game 6 loss in that series as the Dodgers desperately tried to cling to life. On the flip side were the Orioles and Buck Showalter's use of closer Zach Britton. Ignoring the new age thinking to use your best reliever in the most important situation, Showalter kept Britton in the bull - pen of a tie game in extra innings as Ubaldo Jimenez served up a season-ending, walk-off home run to the Blue Jays' Edwin Encarna - cion in the A.L. Wild Card game. Bullpen talent and usage has perhaps never been more im- portant than it is now, and while teams aren't likely to begin using their top relievers in this manner during the regular season — when fewer days off make it impossible — the trend will likely continue in the postseason. Disposablestadiums Twenty years after assuming control of Turner Field, origi- nally called Centennial Olympic Stadium when it hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics, the Braves are opening SunTrust Park this sprin g an d t ak ing the r are pa th of leaving downtown for the suburbs of Cobb County. For a stadium built in this mod - ern era, a 20-year lifespan seems shocking, but it's still not as bad as what's going on in Arlington, Texas, where the Rangers are planning to have a new stadium built in time for the 2020 season. Their current digs, now named Globe Life Park in Arlington, have been open since only 1994, and they moved there after only 21 years in Arlington Stadium. That's two straight stadiums lasting less than three decades. You can probably blame the success of stadiums like the Giants' AT&T Park, which opened in 2000. The expectations have risen for what a ballpark should provide, and Atlanta and Texas unfortunately built stadiums that lacked the "it" factor. All of this emphasizes just how important it is to get it right when building, so the A's — assuming they continue to follow through with their promise to identify a location and build a park — are probably paying attention. Dohomerunsmatter? Chris Carter tied for the Na- tional League lead with 41 home runs in 2016. The Brewers let him walk, and he finally signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract in early February to split some time between first base and designated hitter for the Yankees. Mark Trumbo blasted 47 homers for the Orioles to lead baseball, and reports in December had him seeking a four-year, $80 million deal. He settled in late January for a three-year, $37.5 million pact. Edwin Encarnacion, a 42-home run hitter for the Blue Jays, was allowed out the door and had the A's bidding on him before he signed with the Indians. Min - nesota's Brian Dozier (42 HRs) has been rumored to be on the trading block. Is it possible that home runs are starting to lose some value? Maybe, but the likelier story in some of these cases is the desire to find players with a more well-rounded skill set. Carter can hit home runs for sure, but in four years as a reg - ular his highest batting average is .227 and his best on-base per- centage is .321. Two years ago he failed to crack the Mendoza line, batting just .199 while hitting 24 home runs for Houston. He's also had two seasons with 200- plus strikeouts and managed a meager 0.9 WAR (wins above replacement) during his 41-ho - mer season last year. Trumbo's not as bad (which is why he's still getting a solid $12.5 million a year), but he has a career average of just .251 with a .303 on-base percentage. Mashing the ball is still great, but nowadays, you better get on base regularly, too. Pickupthepace Will we ever stop talking about the pace of play in baseball? The year ly cha tt er cont inue s, and Commissioner Rob Manfred is putting the blame for any resis - tance on the players. "I have great respect for the labor relations process," Manfred said during a spring news confer - ence in Arizona. "I have to admit, however, that I am disappointed that we could not even get the MLBPA to agree to modest rule changes, like limits on trips to the mound, that have little effect on the competitive character of the game." There is one change com - ing this season, with the union agreeing to eliminate pitches on intentional walks. Teams can now simply signal from the dugout their desire to walk a player, and he'll head to first base — some - thing that's been in place in the high school game for years. Who'snext? The Chicago Cubs ended 108 years of futility with last year's Wo rld Serie s c hampi ons hi p fo r the ages. The comeback from down three games to one and a thrilling extra-innings Game 7 ga ve the l oveab le lose rs th e t itle generations had been waiting for. That's been a familiar theme over the past dozen years, starting with the Red So x b reak ing the ir 86-year-old drought in 2004. A year later, the White Sox snapped their 88-year drought, and of cours e t he G iant s' ow n 56 -yea r streak ended in 2010. Before this run, those droughts represented four of the game's five l ong es t ac tiv e s tre ak s w ithou t a championship. So which is the next team to finally join the party? The Indians, the other fran - chise in that top five, are now in their 69th season since last winning it all in 1948 and repre- sent the best bet. Of course, they had the trophy in their sights in October before watching the Cubs rally to steal it away. With a team that looks capa - ble of winning the A.L. pennant again, it's time for Cleveland to get it done and remove its name from that dubious list. After the Indians, the next six longest championship waits are all expansion franchises who have never hoisted the Commissioner's Trophy. In order, the Rangers, Astros, Brewers, Padres, Nation - als and Mariners have all now reached at least 40 years in MLB without a title. Changeinthe'pen? Bullpens turned into one of the huge storylines throughout the playoffs, with a guy like Andrew Miller capturing ALCS MVP hon - ors for the Indians after throwing 7 2/3 shutout innings over four appearances. He was just as busy in the World Series, although he finally cracked when he allowed two runs in Cleveland's Game 7 THE LEAGUE Storylinestowatchastheseasonunfolds BY JIMMY DURKIN TurnerFieldin Atlanta, Georgia, opened in 1996 as Centennial Olympic Stadium, hosting the Summer Olympics. The Braves played their final game there Oct. 2 against the Tigers. LEFT:GETTYIMAGES;RIGHT:JANETYSKA/STAFF