2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games, May 1-3
By Bill Felber
As we enter the month of May, there’s still no baseball because of the coronavirus. So, we continue simulating games for the 2020 MLB season. Today, the AL.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ weekend excursion to Oakland was a serious momentum builder for one post-season hopeful…and it wasn’t the Rays.
In a reprise of the 2019 AL wild-card game that turned out to be a turnaround, the home-standing Athletics completed a four-game sweep of the visitors in this weekend’s simulation of play. That lifted Oakland into second place in the American League West. The Rays, on the other hand, tumbled into last place in the AL East.
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Following up on their 5-3 Thursday victory in the series opener, the Athletics took their fifth consecutive victory and eighth in their last 10 games Friday through Sunday. The Rays are very much going in the opposite direction; they have lost seven of their last 10.
Chris Bassitt pitched seven strong innings Friday to beat Blake Snell 5-3. On Saturday, the Athletics tied into Ryan Yarbrough and two relievers for 15 base hits in a 13-5 win for Mike Fiers. That ran his record to 5-0. Marcus Semien’s fifth-inning grand slam was one of four Oakland home runs.
The Athletics completed the series sweep Sunday behind Mark Canha’s three-run home run in the fifth. That put Oakland ahead 3-1 and they held on to win 4-3, Daniel Mengden picking up the victory. Austin Meadows homered twice for Tampa Bay to no avail.
In other weekend results, Boston took two of three from visiting Texas to retain a half-game advantage over the New York Yankees, who won two of three in Toronto. In the Central, Cleveland won two of three from the visiting San Francisco Giants to hold a half-game lead over the Minnesota Twins, who won two of three against the Angels in Anaheim.
The Kansas City Royals took two of three from Detroit in Kansas City, and the Houston Astros took full advantage of their visit to Seattle, sweeping the Mariners.