2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games, May 18-21
By Bill Felber
2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games (May 18-21)
American League Central
It was a rare rough week to be a Twins fan. The Orioles flew into Minneapolis-St. Paul and took two of three, then the Twins lost the opener of their four-game weekend series with the White Sox. The Twins have now lost five of their most recent seven, and they’re feeling fortunate to have only lost one game of their division lead.
Behind Alex Cobb, 3-4, the Orioles rolled 11-5 Monday. A seven-run first inning off Kenta Maeda, highlighted by Pedro Severino’s three-run home run, certainly eased Cobb’s way. Cobb allowed just four hits in six innings. Severino also doubled and drove in six runs.
Max Kepler’s seventh-inning grand slam off reliever Richard Bleier made the final score more presentable.
The Orioles won 5-2 Tuesday, Wade LeBlanc pitching into the seventh inning to beat Rich Hill. The Twins never gave Baltimore a chance at the sweep, scoring seven times off Hector Velasquez inside of four innings on the way to a 10-1 decision Wednesday. Devin Smeltzer, 3-0, was the winner.
Nomar Mazara touched Twins starter Jose Berrios, 5-3, for a two-run home run in the first inning Thursday, and Edwin Encarnacion added another in the third. That was all Reynaldo Lopez needed for a 4-2 decision. The win took Lopez’s record to 4-2; Berrios fell to 5-3.
The Angels made the most of their stay in Kansas City. While Mike Trout spent most of the series nursing nagging injuries, Shohei Ohtani delivered six hits, two of them home runs, and Anthony Rendon added seven more.
In 24 innings of work, Royals starters gave up a collective 15 earned runs.
Related Story. 2020 MLB Season: Simulating NL games, May 11-14. light
W-L Pct. GB
Minnesota 35-16 .686 —
Cleveland 33-17 .660 1.5
Chicago 29-21 .580 5.5
Kansas City 20-31 .392 15
Detroit 16-33 .327 18