2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games, May 11-14
By Bill Felber
2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games (May 11-14)
American League East
The Yankees rebounded from their stifling at McKay’s hands to take the final three games of their four-game set in Tampa-St. Petersburg and open up a four-game division lead on the Boston Red Sox. Louis Cessa won for the fourth time 6-3 Tuesday, Masahiro Tanaka pitched a one-hit 2-0 shutout Wednesday and Gleyber Torres’ three RBI s carried New York to a 6-2 Thursday win for J.A. Happ.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, lost a pair of inter-league games to the Braves in Atlanta.
The Texas Rangers swept Toronto in a three-game set in Arlington. Kyle Gibson out-pitched Tanner Roark in a 2-1 decision Monday, then on Tuesday Willie Calhoun’s second home run, a two-run shot, ended a 15-inning affair in the Rangers’ favor 11-9.
Toronto led the Wednesday series closer 3-2 until Shin-Soo Choo’s home run tied the game in the bottom of the ninth and Nick Solak’s base hit drove in Elvis Andrus to win it.
After finishing with Toronto, the Rangers opened a four-game weekend series against the Red Sox Thursday, breezing to a 9-1 win. Todd Frazier tripled, homered and drove in four runs. Lance Lynn picked up the victory, his sixth against three defeats.
The Jays traveled to Chicago’s South Side Thursday for the opener of a four-game series of their own with the White Sox. It did not go any better than their sojourn to Texas, the Sox winning 18-5. Jose Abreu homered twice and drove in six runs in support of Dallas Keuchel, who worked the first six innings. The White Sox lit up starter Ryan Borucki for seven runs inside of two innings, then added 10 more in the third and fourth against reliever Wilmer Font.
W-L Pct GB
New York 27-18 .600 —
Boston 23-22 .511 4
Toronto 20-24 .455 6.5
Baltimore 17-27 .386 9.5
Tampa Bay 17-29 .370 10.5