The 2017 season continues to run ahead of the 2016 season, the comparisons below at 19 weeks in each year. The 2017 season produced 9.31 runs per game compared to 8.93 runs per game last year. Home runs are up 0.2 per game, walks are up 0.3 per game, strikeouts are up 0.5 per game, and other hits are down 0.2 per game. So home runs have countered the hits lost to strikeouts, and the extra men on base come from a higher walk rate.

The 2017 offense has leveled off. Over the last six weeks the majors averaged 9.18 runs per game, moving mostly in a narrow range. Last week came in almost right on that average at 9.19 runs per game. We are now in a period where the last three years are very much in line with each other in terms of runs, which you can see at the graph at the link.