2020 MLB Season: Simulating NL 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 NL.

The Philadelphia Phillies rode a three-game sweep of the suddenly crippled Mets in New York to first place in the NL East through the first week of simulated games.

A surprising leader also emerged in the NL West, where the Arizona Diamondbacks picked on visiting San Francisco to open an early advantage in their division.

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The NL Central which many believed would be baseball’s most competitive division, held to that form. The Chicago Cubs swept a three-game series from visiting Pittsburgh to forge a tie with St. Louis, while Milwaukee and Cincinnati demonstrated the ability to stay in contention.

Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds and Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer provided the series’ offensive highlights. Facing the Cubs at Wrigley Field Apr. 1, Reynolds went 5-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. That performance lifted his batting average to .522.

But Hosmer went Reynolds one better. Against the Atlanta Braves March 30 in San Diego, Hosmer lit up a succession of pitchers for six hits in seven at-bats. Curiously, all six were singles, and Hosmer scored only once as his teammates repeatedly failed to take advantage of the opportunities Hosmer presented.

Hosmer finished the series hitting .414.

Then there was the curious case of Kyle Schwarber, who National League pitchers for the most part simply refused to pitch to. With good reason.

Against the Pirates at Wrigley Field, Schwarber received four more bases on balls in his dozen plate appearances, following up on the four he received in Milwaukee opening weekend.

When Schwarber did get something to cut at, it was bombs away. His two hits vs. Pittsburgh included a three-run home run, giving him a .706 slugging average and a 1.226 OPS.

Here is a summary of National League mid-week games from March 30 through April 1.

2020 MLB Season: Simulating NL Games

National League East

Coming off their opening weekend sweep of the Nationals, the New York Mets looked forward to hosting Philadelphia. But Philly’s visit did not go well for the hosts.

In the first game, the Phillies’ pen rescued a shaky performance by starter Vince Velasquez, and the Phils rallied for four runs against the Mets’ pen in the eighth and ninth to win 7-4. In the second game, Didi Gregorius’ two hits – one a home run –sank Rick Porcello as the Phillies won 7-5.

The visitors completed their sweep with a strong Wednesday performance from Aaron Nola. Jeff McNeil’s three hits and Robinson Cano’s three RBIs weren’t enough to prevent a 6-4 Phillies win and a road sweep. Michael Wacha allowed runs in five of the six innings he pitched.

Washington staged a sweep of its own to even its record at 3-3. On Monday Anibal Sanchez – with bullpen help –scatted 13 Marlins hits as the Nats won 7-2. The Nats built an early 4-0 lead on Tuesday and then hung on for a 4-3 win. Starlin Castro homered against his former team.

Max Scherzer dominated the Marlins Wednesday, shutting them out on three hits. The Nats put Scherzer on cruise control with a five-run fourth inning fueled by Carter Kieboom’s grand slam.

                             W-L        Pct          GB

Philadelphia       6-1          .857        —

New York            3-3          .500        2.5

Washington        3-3          .500        2.5

Atlanta                 3-4          .429        3

Miami                   1-6          .143        5

2020 MLB Season: Simulating NL Games

National League Central

The Cardinals and Brewers staged a tussle for NL Central leadership in Milwaukee, St. Louis emerging with the better of it. The Cards won the opener 14-2 thanks to a pair of five-run innings in the fourth and again in the ninth.

Paul Goldschmidt produced a five-hit game that included a home run and two RBIs. Paul DeJong backed up Goldschmidt with three hits of his own and two more RBIs, while Kolten Wong drove in four runs.

The Brewers won the Tuesday game 6-1 behind Brian Anderson’s six strong innings. Christian Yelich’s three hits included a home run and produced three RBIs. But in the Wednesday wrapup, a critical error by Keston Hiura set St. Louis up for two fifth-inning runs, and that was all the Cardinals needed for a 2-1 win. Daniel Hudson pitched six innings, and the Cards pen shut down Milwaukee over the final three.

The Cubs hosted their cousins from Pittsburgh with fireworks in a three-game sweep. Chicago won the opener 8-6 on Schwarber’s three-run fifth-inning home run. Wilson Contreras also produced a three-run bomb, his coming in the fourth.

Tyler Chatwood pitched seven strong innings on Tuesday as the Cubs breezed to a 7-0 win. Jason Heyward was the star this time, his two hits including a home run and producing four RBIs. Chicago completed the sweep Wednesday thanks to Heyward’s three-hit, four-RBI game. The final was 6-2.

W-L        Pct          GB

Chicago                4-2          .667        —

St. Louis               4-2          .667        —

Milwaukee          3-3          .500        1

Cincinnati            2-4          .333        2

Pittsburgh           1-5          .167        3