There were a combined 10 runs scored in the two wild-card games to begin this postseason -- nine of them from home runs.In Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, the Toronto Blue Jays won 5-3, scoring all five runs on home runs. In fact, the Jays knocked out the Baltimore Orioles, then swept the Rangers, scoring 16 of their 27 runs on homers.Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs came into Tuesday?with 11 runs scored in their first three games -- seven of them from home runs.Anybody else seeing a trend here? Indeed, the league has become homer-centric, maybe even homer-reliant, as two seemingly contradictory trends are happening right now in Major League Baseball: (1) Pitchers are harder to hit than theyve ever been, owing in part to increasing velocity; and (2) the game has experienced a home run surge, dating back to around the 2015 All-Star break.We saw a jump in home runs during the regular season, and theyve carried the utmost importance this postseason; of the 108 runs scored this postseason heading into play Tuesday, half of them were as a result of home runs, the highest percentage in the wild-card era. And lets not forget, playoff teams normally trot out their best pitchers in the playoffs, not scrubs.And its not a coincidence. Like it or not, this is how the game is played these days. Pitchers are seeing a lot of the worst possible outcome (home run), while also seeing increasing amounts of the better outcomes. Strikeouts are up, walks are down. More long fly balls, fewer easy outs. A blp and a blast. Or maybe its just the blast; in Game 1 of the AL Division Series between the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians, nine runs were scored -- six of them on solo homers.Lets take a closer lk at whats happening -- and why.Balenciaga Outlet .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. Cheap Balenciaga Shoes Authentic . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. http://www.balenciagacheap.com/ .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brklyn Nets are lking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. Discount Balenciaga Shoes . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im lking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Cheap Balenciaga Shoes Online . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006.Papua New Guinea 201 (Vala 70, Bau 40, Nadeem 4-50) beat Hong Kong 187 (Wasif 45, Soper 6-41) by 14 runsScorecard In a low-scoring match dominated by the opening bowler from both sides, Chad Sopers career-best 6 for 41 trumped Nadeem Ahmeds 4 for 50 as Papua New Guinea edged past Hong Kong by 14 runs in the second ODI and levelled the three-match series.PNG opted to bat first at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok and were dismissed for 201 in 45.5 overs after left-arm spinner Nadeem scythed through their top-order. Like Nadeem, Soper, t, dismissed the top-three, before adding three more to his tally to bowl Hong Kong out for 187 in 48.1 overs.PNGs innings was built on two partnerships. First, Assad Vala, their captain, who top scored with 70, added 78 for the fourth wicket with Sese Bau to lift them from 39 for 3. Vala then shared a 43-run sixth-wicket partnership with Mahuru Dai. The association ended with Vala being stumped off Anshuman Rath, the left-arm spinner. He had faced 87 balls and pinged nine fouurs and two sixes.dddddddddddd PNGs innings lasted a further 67 balls after Valas dismissal, but they could only score 30 runs more.Rath finished with 3 for 28 in 10 overs. Aizaz Khan tk two wickets and Ehsan Khan accounted for last man out Soper.Hong Kong had a few solid contributions from the middle order, but none of them could stay on to see the team through. Like PNG, Hong Kong could also string together only two partnerships of note. Nizakat Khan (33) and Rath (21) pulled them from 31 for 3 to 80 for 4. Shahid Wasif (45) and Ehsan Khan (27 not out) then joined hands for a 56-run sixth-wicket stand. The chase ended with the dismissal of Nadeem, who was bowled by John Reva, the right-arm medium pacer, for 1.Vala followed up his 70 with economical figures of 1 for 33 in 10 overs. Dai finished his quota with 2 for 42.The deciding ODI will take place on Tuesday at the same venue. ' ' '