Manfred suggests science catching up with cheats

7:09 PM ET

NEW YORK — Improved science could be a reason behind baseball’s increase in positive drug tests.

There have been eight suspensions announced this year under the major league program for positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs, one more than in all of 2015, and reigning NL batting champion Dee Gordon of the Miami Marlins was among those penalized. There were just two in 2014 and none in 2013.

“The windows of detection on certain substances have been lengthened,” baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday after a quarterly owners meeting. “That may be one on explanation for what we’re seeing.”

Manfred also said speculation that NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs may have used PEDs was “distasteful,” “inappropriate” and “unfair.” Arrieta said last month his teammates had heard rumors and called it “flattering.”

“There’s one way to know: Did he test positive or did he not?” Manfred said.

On another much-discussed topic, Manfred said the decrease in minority managers to two was “the nature of the game.” There were as many as 10 in 2002 and 2009, and the firing of Fredi Gonzalez this week left no Latino managers. Washington’s Dusty Baker and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Dave Roberts are the only black managers.

“You’re going to have periods of time where these numbers ebb and flow,” Manfred said. “To the extent that our fans, the people with whom we do business, are focusing on a particular area and perceive a lack of diversity, that’s an issue that we work very hard to avoid.”

On other topics:

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

Manfred said management and the players’ union have met 12 times in the early stages of bargaining for a labor contract to …

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