As baseball remains in hiatus due to the coronavirus, we continue simulating games for the 2020 MLB season. Here are the results for 3/30 – 4/1 in the AL.
The 2020 virtual season’s first mid-week series allowed early leaders to emerge in both the AL East and AL Central.
In the AL Central, the Minnesota Twins displayed intimidating power in jetting to a 6-1 first-week record. Off-season acquisition Josh Donaldson drove in nine runs.
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In the AL East, Toronto’s young Blue Jays won five of seven against the Red Sox and Reds to edge a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay.
The most meaningful trends, however, may have developed at the other end of the standings. Bereft of the heart of their batting order – sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton – the New York Yankees continued to flounder. The Yanks found themselves batting a league-low .210 through the 2020 MLB season’s first six games.
But at least the Yanks could show a couple of victories on their resume. Not so in Seattle, where the Mariners sustained three more shellings and stood winless through seven games. Opponents batted .351 against Mariners’ pitching, which carried a staff ERA above 8.00.
The dominant offensive tone set in 2019 continued. American League batters produced 162 home runs in the season’s first week, led by 15 off the bats of the Houston Astros. George Springer hit four in his team’s first six games.
The defending AL champion Astros rode Alex Bregman’s hot bat to a 5-2 record and a share of first place with Texas. Bregman went 13-for-26 against the Angels and Athletics.
Although pitching suffered, not all the arms surrendered runs freely. Chicago ace Lucas Giolito pitched 13 shutout innings, winning both of his starts. Charley Morton held Pittsburgh and the Yankees to a combined one run in his two starts.