2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL Games for April 17-19

As baseball remains in hiatus due to the coronavirus, we continue simulating games for the 2020 MLB season. Here are the results for 4/17-4/19 for the AL.

It took three weeks, but the New York Yankees have found their way to the top of the American League East.

In our 2020 MLB season simulation, it’s hardly a secure lead. By taking two of three extra-inning games from the Cincinnati Reds, the Yankees edged one game ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays, who took two of three from Tampa Bay.

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The Boston Red Sox dropped into third after being held scoreless in a three-game sweep at Fenway at the hands of the Cleveland Indians.

In the AL Central, Minnesota swept the last-place Detroit Tigers to extend the Twins’ hot start. At 18-4, they remain two games ahead of the Indians.

The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels three straight and extended their lead over the Texas Rangers to four and one-half games.

His Red Sox may have done nothing against Cleveland, but Xander Bogaerts maintained his hot start at-bat. Bogaerts collected six hits in a dozen at-bats to lift his average to .406 and close in on AL batting leader Brandon Lowe of Tampa Bay.  Held to two hits in the final three games of their Rays’ four-game weekend series with Toronto, Lowe’s average fell to .412, but he retained a six-point advantage.

Minnesota’s Nelson Cruz homered three times against the Tigers to catch Chicago’s Jose Abreu in the home run race. Both now have 10 for the season. Cruz’s teammate, Josh Donaldson, drove in two runs and has 27 RBIs.

The Yankees’ Gerrit Cole fanned 13 Reds and lifted his strikeout total to 45, just three behind Lucas Giolito

2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL Games (April 17-19)

American League East

The Cincinnati Reds’ series in New York was certainly the weekend’s most tightly contested. All three games required extra innings to decide. They also hinged on bullpen shortcomings.

The Reds carried a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth on Friday – thanks in large measure to Eugenio Suarez’s three-run home run in the sixth  — only to have Raisel Iglesias give it up. But in the 10th, Shogo Akiyama homered off Yankees reliever Ben Heller and Amir Garrett closed out the 8-7 win.

It was to be Cincinnati’s only moment of glory in Yankee Stadium. The Reds carried a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth on Saturday, then gave it up again when Yankees first baseman Luke Voit homered with Brett Gardner aboard to knock out starter Sonny Gray. In the 10th, D J LeMahieu took Michael Lorenzen deep for the walk-off winner.

The Yankees took advantage of Cincinnati’s pen again Sunday. This time the Reds rallied from a 6-4 deficit with two runs in the ninth, those coming off Yankees reliever Zack Britton. In the 10th, however, Aaron Judge hit his second homer of the game to wrap up a 7-6 decision.

The Reds’ pen – Iglesias, Garrett, Lorenzen, and Cody Reed — allowed five runs in six and two-thirds innings of work in the Bronx.

Those outcomes moved the Yankees ahead of the suddenly impotent Red Sox, who managed nothing at all against Cleveland’s pitching. On Friday Franmil Reyes homered in the second and Aaron Civale – with help from Hunter Wood – made it stand out for a 1-0 two-hitter. One day later Zach Plesac stopped the Sox on four hits and Jose Ramirez’ two-run ninth-inning home run sealed a 3-0 decision.

There was no suspense Sunday once Carlos Santana delivered a second-inning grand slam to get the Indians off to a 6-0 start. Behind Mike Clevinger and four relievers, they buried the Red Sox 13-0, again holding them to just four hits. Bogaerts was virtually Boston’s entire story; the rest of the team managed just two doubles and two singles.

The Blue Jays took two of three from Tampa Bay and edged into second place just behind New York. Tampa’s only success came in the Friday opener when Hunter Renfroe’s two home runs carried the day for Blake Snell in a 7-4 decision.

The Jays broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the ninth Saturday against Nick Anderson on Lourdes Gurriel’s two-RBI single, scoring Teoscar Hernandez and Cavan Biggio. On Sunday Trent Thornton shut out Tampa on five singles and Danny Jansen and Randall Grichuk homered in a 5-0 Jays win.

                                 W-L          Pct        GB

New York             12-10       .545        —

Toronto                 11-11      .500        1

Boston                  11-12      .478        1.5

Tampa Bay           10-12      .455        2

Baltimore               9-12       .429        2.5

2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL Games (April 17-19)

American League Central

The Twins continued their blazing April start with a home sweep of last-place Detroit. On Friday, Max Kepler’s three hits, one a home run, produced three runs and Cruz homered twice in a 7-2 win for Kenta Maeda.

The Twins pounded Detroit 13-1 Saturday for Dobnak, Kepler’s grand slam in a six-run fifth accounting for much of the damage. Miguel Sano added five RBIs with three home runs, two of luckless Tiger starter Daniel Norris. The Sunday contest was more competitive, Minnesota needing 10 innings to close out the 3-2 decision. Jorge Polanco’s base hit chased Kepler across with the game-winner. Luis Arraez had four hits for the Twins.

The White Sox completed their four-game series with visiting Texas by taking two of three weekend games to claim the series edge 3-1. They won 4-2 Friday thanks to a three-run first off Ranger starter Corey Kluber. Tim Anderson led off with a home run and Gio Gonzalez delivered six strong innings to run his record to 3-1.

Chicago rode Abreu’s four RBI day to a 9-1 win on Saturday. The slugging first baseman doubled twice and homered off Ranger starter Kyle Gibson. On Sunday Shin-Soo Choo homered twice and drove in three runs as the Rangers avoided a sweep, beating Giolito 7-3.

The visiting Baltimore Orioles swept Kansas City, including a 2-1 Friday victory when Pedro Severino’s fourth-inning single drove in both runs. Wade LeBlanc pitched into the eighth and Miguel Castro closed out the save.

Baltimore rolled 7-4 on Saturday thanks to a pair of home runs from Anthony Santander, then closed out the sweep 8-4 on Sunday behind J Iglesias’ three homers. They were part of a five-hit six-RBI day in support of John Means.

                                W-L        Pct          GB

Minnesota          18-4       .818        —

Cleveland            16-6       .727        2

Chicago                13-9       .591        5

Kansas City         10-12    .455        8

Detroit                    6-15    .286        11.5

2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL Games (April 17-19)

American League West

Houston fed off Texas’ problems against the White Sox, sweeping the visiting Angels to extend their AL West advantage to a suddenly comfortable four and one-half games.

On Friday  the Astros built a 3-0 lead against Andrew Heaney through six innings, then feasted off the Angel pen for nine runs in the final two innings of a 12-1 win. Five Astros had multiple hits games, Yordan Alvarez and Yuli Gurriel each deriving four runs across. Alvarez’s big day included a grand slam off reliever Keynan Middleton.

On Saturday the Astros struck for six runs in the first two innings and won 13-2. Alex Bregman’s three hits drove home four runs. Shohei Ohtani made his 2020 mound debut on Sunday, but it did not go well. Ohtani allowed seven runs and eight hits in just three innings of a 9-1 Houston win. Alvarez produced three more RBIs, and Kyle Tucker matched that number. Justin Verlander coasted through eight innings for his fourth victory.

Oakland won two out of three weekend games from visiting Seattle to take the four-game series 3-1. On Friday Daniel Mengden pitched a five-hit shutout and Matt Olson’s two-RBI triple highlighted a 3-run first in Oakland’s 5-0 win.

The Athletics rallied from three runs down to take Saturday’s game 4-3 on Marcus Semen’s walk-off single with Matt Chapman and Stephen Piscotty aboard. The Mariners salvaged something out of the weekend trip down the coast when Marco Gonzalez out-pitched Sean Manaea 4-2. The decisive runs scored in the top of the ninth on Shed Long’s two-run home run against Yusmeiro Petit.

                                 W-L         Pct         GB

Houston               15-6       .714        —

Texas                     11-11     .500        4.5

Oakland                10-13     .435        6

Los Angeles           8-13     .381        7

Seattle                    5-18     .217        11