2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games, April 27-30

The 2020 MLB season remains in hiatus because of the novel coronavirus, but we continue to simulate games. Here are the results for April 27-30 for the AL.

Only a few short days ago the Minnesota Twins were clipping along with the majors’ best record, winning three of every four games they played.

In the 2020 American League simulation, though, fame is fleeting. All it took was a two-game mid-week stumble in Los Angeles for the Twins to be looking up at the AL Central lead.

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While the National League Dodgers slowed Minnesota’s march, the Cleveland Indians rode a four-game winning streak to the division summit, sweeping Tampa Bay in a three-game series played in St. Petersburg. The outcomes allowed the Indians to flit right past Minnesota into a half-game lead in the AL Central.

Better yet, as April turns to May it is the Indians, not the Twins, who have the majors’ best record at 22-10.

Cleveland homered four times in Monday’s 9-3 victory over starter Trevor Richards and four relievers, one home run each from Orlando Mercado, Carlos Santana, Jose Ramirez, and Jake Bauers.

Three more home runs Tuesday – by Domingo Santana, Ramirez, and Jordan Luplow — fueled a 5-3 win in 11 innings.  Santana’s 11th inning blast off Chaz Roe proved to be the game-winner for Brad Hand working in relief of starter Adam Plutko.

On Wednesday Shane Bieber shot Cleveland past Minnesota in the division race with eight strong innings in a 4-2 victory. This time shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Franmil Reyes provided the muscle, Lindor homering twice and Reyes once. Handpicked up his sixth save of the season.

In the AL East, Boston edged into first place by sweeping Toronto while the Yankees only managed two of three against the Detroit Tigers. In the AL West, first place Houston lost of its three mid-week games but maintained a five and one-half game lead over the Texas Rangers, with the Oakland Athletics another half-game behind.