2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games – March 30 to April 1

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.

2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL Games

American Leauge East

The Toronto Blue Jays held a tenuous grasp on first place in the division after a three-game series win over the visiting Cincinnati Reds at the Skydome.

Jays starter Trent Thornton failed to retire a single batter in the first game, facing four batters, all of whom hit safely. Eugenio Suarez and Nick Castellanos both homered.

But after spotting Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani seven runs, Jays hitters touched him for six runs in the fifth and sixth innings and went on to win 10-7.

The Reds and Jays split the final two games, Cincinnati winning 7-4 on Tuesday and Toronto winning 6-3 on Wednesday.

The Tampa Bay Rays took advantage of New York’s weakened lineup, winning two of three in St. Petersburg. In the first game, Joey Wendle, Jose Martinez and Austin Meadows all drove in runs in a 3-0 Rays victory.

Tampa withstood Gleyber Torres’ two-homer, three-RBI game Tuesday for a 9-3 victory, Trevor Richards shutting down the rest of the Yankee lineup.

New York, playing without Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, rode Gerrit Cole’s five-hit pitching to a 2-1, 10-inning victory in the series closer.

The Boston Red Sox came into Baltimore and took two of three. In the series opener, Xander Bogaerts’ five-hit, two-homer, four-RBI game led a 17-hit Red Sox attack against Kole Stewart and three relievers in a 14-6 victory.

The Red Sox also won the Tuesday game 5-2 behind Eduardo Rodriguez. Baltimore salvaged the final game Wednesday as John Means held Boston to four hits. Chris Davis homered and drove in three runs. The final score was 5-2.

W-L        Pct           GB

Toronto                5-2          .714        —

Tampa Bay          4-2          .667        .5

Baltimore            3-3          .500        1.5

Boston                  3-4          .429        2

New York            2-4          .333        2.5

2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL Games

American Leauge Central

Cleveland’s three-game series with the visiting Chicago White was one of extremes. The teams fought a tenacious pitchers’ duel on Monday, then broke into an extended Tuesday-Wednesday slugfest. The Indians came away with two victories.

In the opener, Jefry Rodriguez out-pitched Carson Fulmer, who lost despite allowing just three hits into the eighth inning. Jose Ramirez drove in both Cleveland runs, one on a groundout and the other on a sacrifice fly ball.

The bats broke out in Tuesday’s 11-4 Indians victory. Reynaldo Lopez gave up six runs and seven hits in just 3.2 innings, Domingo Santana and Ramirez both driving in five runs. The White Sox rebounded Wednesday in a 17-10 victory. Edwin Encarnacion’s three-home-run game produced seven RBIs. As a team, the Sox tied into a half dozen Indians pitchers for eight homers.

The Detroit Tigers won two of three from the visiting Kansas City Royals. Cameron Maybin led Detroit’s offense, going 6-for-12 in the series. The Royals won an 11-1 series closer powered by three-hit days by Bubba Starling and Nicky Lopez. Starling and Sal Perez both drove in three runs Wednesday.

                              W-L        Pct           GB

Minnesota          6-1          .857        —

Cleveland            4-2          .667        1.5

Chicago               3-3          .500        2.5

Detroit                  3-3          .500        2.5

Kansas City         2-4          .333        3.5