2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games, May 22-24

2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games (May 22-24)

American League East

The lowly Mariners gave the Yankees all they could want at Yankee Stadium, beating New York’s ace and nearly taking the series. The series underscored the competitive under-achievement of AL East teams generally. They are a collective 24-40 against the West, 31-32 against the Central, and 12-14 against the National League.

Seattle broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the ninth inning Friday when Austin Nola homered off Gerrit Cole, 4-5, who to that point had allowed just three hits and struck out eight. The hit made a winner out of Yusei Kikuchi,  2-3. Matt Magill allowed two ninth-inning hits but preserved his sixth save.

The Yankees breezed to a 15-1 decision Saturday behind Luis Cessa, 5-1. Home runs by D J LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton, and Chris Iannetta put the issue beyond doubt, Iannetta adding a single and driving in a total of four runs.

Daniel Vogelbach’s two-run first-inning home run Sunday put Seattle on top, but by the third inning LeMahieu, Torres and Stanton had each offset that with solo shots and New York led 3-2. That turned out to be all the Yankees needed, a patchwork bullpen collectively matching scoreless innings with Mariner Erik Swanson, 4-5, the rest of the way. Jonathan Holden, 1-3, was credited with the win, Aroldis Chapman got his eighth save.

The Blue Jays swept the final three games of their series with the Orioles in Toronto to take the series 3-1. Following up on Baltimore’s 6-4, 12-inning victory in the Thursday opener, Matt Shoemaker, 4-4, fired a one-hitter Friday, Hanser Alberto‘s single starting the game being Shoemaker’s only mistake. He walked three and struck out five.

John Means, 3-6, took the loss.

The Jays scored three eighth-inning runs off Baltimore’s pen for a 4-2 Saturday win. Lourdes Gurriel doubled home two runs and Randal Grichuk’s hit tallied Gurriel. Reliever A.J. Cole, 3-2, was the beneficiary, Ken Giles getting his 12th save. Miguel Castro, who gave up Gurriel’s double, was the loser.

The Jays turned a five-run sixth into an 8-5 Sunday victory for Hyun-Jin Ryu, 4-4. Travis Shaw doubled, singled, and drove four runs home. Oddly, all five of Baltimore’s runs scored on solo homers, two by D J Stewart and one each from Renato Nunez, Pedro Severino, and Jose Rondon.

Combined with Boston’s sweep at the hands of Houston, the outcomes lifted the Jays into second place in the division.

                                W-L        Pct           GB

New York             31-23     .574        —

Toronto                26-28     .481        5

Boston                 25-29     .463        6

Tampa Bay          24-31     .436        7.5

Baltimore            20-34     .370     11