SAN DIEGO -- With home runs up to a level not seen since the height of the Steroids Era, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says he is not worried performance-enhancing drugs are a reason for the increase.There was an average of nearly 2.32 home runs per game before the All-Star break, up from 1.90 in the first half of last year and the most before the break since 2.56 in 2000.The increase in the number of home runs takes place against a very, very different backdrop, Manfred told the Baseball Writers Association of America on Tuesday. It takes place against the backdrop where Major League Baseball does 22,000 drug tests a year.Thirteen players have been suspended this year under the big league drug program, including NL batting champion Dee Gordon of the Miami Marlins, nearly double the seven suspensions issued in all of 2015.Offense started perking up during the second half of last season, and last years home run average ended at 2.02.If it was performance-enhancing drugs, youd be much more likely to see it begin at the beginning of the season, right, with the offseason being a period of temptation, Manfred said. So we think it has to do with the way pitchers pitch, the way hitters are being taught to play the game. Weve seen some unusual developments in terms of what you traditionally thought of as home-run hitters being moved up in the lineup, just to get them more at-bats.Toronto manager John Gibbons at times pushed Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion to the top of his batting order.Manfred rejected the notion baseballs might be juiced and referred to the resignation in 2013 of Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner Ryozo Kato after a change in the manufacturing of balls for the Japanese leagues.There are certain mistakes in life that if you pay attention to whats going on around you, you are not inclined to make, Manfred said. I like my current gig. So I think you can rest assured ... the baseballs the same as it was last year. Cheap Soccer Jerseys China . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. Discount Soccer Jerseys . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. http://www.cheapsoccerjerseys.co/ . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Free Shipping . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Online . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Mauricio Herrera and Pablo Cesar Cano, both former interim junior welterweight titleholders looking to rebound from losses, will square off in a 10-round welterweight fight on Nov. 18 at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, Golden Boy Promotions announced.The card, headlined by Mexican-American Herrera and Mexicos Cano, takes place two days before Mexican Revolution Day in the main event of Golden Boy Promotions Boxeo Estelar series on Estrella TV.Mauricio Herrera and Pablo Cesar Cano embody two true Mexican fighting styles in the ring, which is why we couldnt wait to bring this entertaining fight to Fantasy Springs, Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya said. Come Nov. 18th, the fight fans will be flocking to the desert to take part in this big night of boxing on Mexican Revolution Day.Both fighters will be looking to bounce back from defeats. Herrera (22-6, 7 KOs), 36, of Riverside, California, lost a shutout 10-round decision to undefeated up-and-comer Frankie Gomez on May 7 in his last fight on the Canelo Alvarez-Amir Khan undercard.After such a one-sided loss, Herrera said he knows how urgent a win is this time out.My career could potentially be on the line here, said Herrera, who owns wins against opponents such as Ruslan Provodnikov and Hank Lundy. My last fight against Gomez was a wake-up call, and now being put to the test at facing Cano, I know that I have a lot on the line.dddddddddddd. He is going to do what he usually does -- bring 100 percent into the ring -- and so am I.In 2014, Herrera lost a disputed majority decision to then-junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia. In his next fight he outpointed Johan Perez by majority decision to win an interim title. However, he lost it by decision in his first defense in a result even more controversial than the loss to Garcia.The 26-year-old Cano (29-5-1, 21 KOs) is coming off a 10-round split decision loss to Alan Sanchez on May 6.I am very excited to get back in the ring, Cano said. I know this is a very crucial bout for my career, and is a career-defining moment. I am training extremely hard because my opponent is a very formidable opponent and I want to give the fans what they have expected from me -- a good fight for their entertainment and my victory to get my career back on track.Cano won an interim belt by seventh-round technical decision against Perez in 2012 but never defended it. He moved up to welterweight for his next fight and lost decisions in his next two bouts, to Paulie Malignaggi (in a world title bout for which Cano failed to make weight) and Shane Mosley. ' ' '