2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games, May 29-31

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In this edition of the 2020 MLB season simulation, the Jays close in on the Yankees.

There’s a new contender in the AL East for the 2020 MLB season simulation.

By sweeping a weekend series in Baltimore, the Toronto Blue Jays moved as close to the division lead as they’ve been since the first week of the simulated season. The Blue Jays now sit just two and one-half games behind the division-leading New York Yankees.

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As May turns to June, Toronto is also the AL’s hottest team, having won eight of the last 10 games, including five straight. That has enabled the Jays to shave three and one-half games off New York’s lead.

Toronto has not built its recent success on any one element but instead has relied on varied strengths from day to day. On Friday, for example, Cavan Biggio’s three-run seventh-inning home run knocked Asher Wojciechowski, 2-5, from the mound and made a winner out of Tanner Roark, 2-2, who completed seven innings.

One day later, Randall Grichuk homered twice and drove in three runs as the Jays produced a 5-2 victory for Hyun-Jin Ryu, 5-4. On Sunday, Trent Thornton, 4-4, held the Orioles to three runs and five hits over seven innings, good enough to eke out a 4-3 win over Wade LeBlanc, 3-2.

That pulled the Jays another game closer to the top when New York only managed to take two of three from the Angels in Anaheim.

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In other weekend AL play, Oakland took two of three games in Arlington to move into second place in the AL West, although the Athletics remain seven and one-half games behind the division-leading Astros. Houston won two of three against Boston, further damaging the Red Sox’ hopes of contending this season.

The Minnesota Twins won a high-scoring series on Chicago’s South Side, and the Indians beat Kansas City two of three in Cleveland to keep pace.

In interleague play, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee split a pair of games, Seattle took two of three from NL East-leading Atlanta, and Detroit failed to slow surging Arizona, losing three times in Phoenix.

In this edition of the 2020 MLB season sim, the Yankees run afoul of the Angels.

The Yankees offense did its best to keep up with the Jays, scoring 23 runs in the three-weekend games in Anaheim. The Yanks won 9-2 behind J.A. Happ, 5-2, Friday, lighting up Angels starter Julio Teheran, 1-8, for seven runs in less than two innings of work.

But the Angels showed some offense of their own Saturday against Jonathan Loaisiga and three relievers. In a 29-hit contest featuring six home runs, Anthony Rendon’s sixth-inning grand slam highlighted a seven-run Angels outburst against Jordan Montgomery, 0-3, that overcame New York’s seven-run second inning. It threw the Angels in front 13-7 and they won 13-9.

The Angels knocked out starter Gerrit Cole in the fifth inning Sunday, but Gleyber Torres’ second home run made a 5-4 winner out of Luis Cessa, 6-2, working in relief.

At Tropicana, Brad Snell, 7-2, outpitched Milwaukee’s Adrian Houser, 3-7, and came away with a 1-0 decision. Snell allowed just three hits, striking out 12, and got the only run he needed on Joey Wendle’s second-inning home run.

The Brewers made up for their offensive lapses Sunday against Tyler Glasnow, 3-5. Avisail Garcia, Orlando Arcia, Christian Yelich, and Eric Sogard all hit safely three times, Garcia’s hits driving in six runs during an 18-5 Brewer runaway. Brett Anderson, 7-2, was the pitching benefactor.

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W-L Pct GB

New York 34-27 .557 —

Toronto 31-29 .517 2.5

Boston 28-33 .459 6

Tampa Bay 27-34 .443 7

Baltimore 22-39 .361 12

In this edition of the 2020 MLB season, the Twins have lots to do in Chicago.

Minnesota’s visit to Chicago was an opportunity for the White Sox to legitimize their wild card credentials and potentially build momentum for the division race, but the Twins didn’t give Chicago much of a chance. The visitors scored in double figures in all three games, Chicago still managing to save one of them.

With 14 runs of support including an eight-run top of the first, Jake Odorizzi, 9-2, had it easy in Friday’s 14-4 victory. Nelson Cruz’s four hits included a three-run home run off Sox starter Dallas Keuchel, 3-4, who faced six batters without retiring any of them.

Saturday’s game was a virtual reprise of Friday, the Twins this time scoring four in the first, two in the second and four more in the third, by which time Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez, 4-3, was gone. Luis Arraez and Josh Donaldson both had three hits, Donaldson driving in three runs in the 13-6 victory.

That set the stage for Sunday’s wild finish. The teams were tied 7-7 entering the ninth when the Twins hit Sox relievers Jace Fry and Kelvin Herrera for three runs including Max Kepler’s home run

That appeared to set up the Twins for a sweep, but Sergio Romo, 1-2, couldn’t make it stick. Yasmani Grandal’s three-run home run led a four-run rally that made a winner instead of Alex Colome, 2-2.

The Indians beat Kansas City 6-1 Friday as Aaron Civale, 5-3, scattered eight hits across six innings. Sandy Leon homered and drove in three runs. Cleveland also won 3-2 Saturday behind seven innings from Carlos Carrasco, 2-1. Franmil Reyes’s two-run sixth-inning home run off Brad Keller, 2-8, put Cleveland on top.

But on Sunday, Jacob Junis, 6-5, and two relievers held the home team to four hits in a 2-0 shutout. Junis pitched into the ninth. Then after the Indians mounted a late threat against Junis and Tim Hill, Ian Kennedy came in to record his ninth save.

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W-L Pct GB

Minnesota 42-18 .700 —

Cleveland 38-21 .644 3.5

Chicago 33-27 .550 9

Kansas City 24-37 .393 18.5

Detroit 18-41 .305 23.5

The A’s begin their chase of Houston in this edition of the 2020 MLB season simulation.

The Athletics edged into second place in the division by taking two of three from Texas. The Rangers, however, won Friday’s series opener 8-5 behind Kyle Gibson, 5-5. Ronald Guzman’s three-run fifth-inning home run off Chris Bassitt, 4-6, was the key blow.

The A’s got a three-run shot from the suddenly productive Chad Pinder to win Saturday’s game 4-2. Pinder’s home run came in the second inning off Corey Kluber, 3-5, and made a winner of Mike Fiers. 7-3.

On Sunday, Texas carried a 4-3 lead into the ninth only to see Matt Chapman’s two-run home run off Jose LeClerc lead a three-run Oakland comeback that produced a 6-4 win.

The Astros beat Boston 2-1 Friday, Brad Peacock allowing just three hits into the eighth inning. That ran Peacock’s record to 5-2. The Astros took Saturday’s game 5-2, this time behind Jose Urquidi, 4-3. Yuli Gurriel homered twice.

The Red Sox survived a shaky Sunday start from Collin McHugh to pull out an 8-6 win, scoring twice in the ninth inning off Josh Smith, 0-2, to do it. Christian Vazquez and Kevin pillar provided the muscle, delivering back-to-back home runs.

The Mariners rattled former teammate Felix Hernandez, 6-2, and NL East-leading Atlanta, routing them 13-2 Friday behind Evan White’s two home runs, good for five RBIs. In his return to Seattle, Hernandez failed to get through the third inning, allowing five runs on six hits, two of them home runs. Evan Swanson, 5-5, got the win.

Seattle added a 3-2 win Saturday, Marco Gonzalez, 5-6, outdueling Mike Foltyniewicz, 7-2. The Braves avoided a sweep by winning 7-4 Sunday thanks in part to Dansby Swanson’s three-run home run. Mike Soroka, 3-5, got the win and Taijuan Walker, 1-4, took the defeat.

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W-L Pct GB

Houston 40-20 .667 —

Oakland 33-28 .541 7.5

Texas 31-28 .525 8.5

Los Angeles 26-33 .431 14

Seattle 22-39 .361 18.5

(Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) /

During the 2020 MLB season, Yuli Gurriel is on quite a productive streak.

Yuli Gurriel enters June as the leader in the AL batting race. He’s hitting .381 for the AL West-leading Astros, 15 points up on Minnesota’s Josh Donaldson (.366), and 26 points ahead of Boston’s Xander Bogaerts (.355).

Gurriel has also batted safely in 22 consecutive games, the league’s longest hitting streak this season. No team has stopped him since the Mariners did so on May 7.

Minnesota’s Miguel Sano holds the home run lead with 24, two more than Chicago’s Jose Abreu. That’s a 65-home run pace for the season. His teammate, Donaldson, leads in RBIs with 65, four ahead of Abreu.

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Odorizzi’s victory over the White Sox made him the first AL pitcher to win nine times this year. Texas’ Mike Minor holds the ERA lead at 2.57, but Snell’s brilliant performance against the Brewers lowered his ERA to 2.66.

Chicago’s Giolito has 110 strikeouts, six more than Tampa Bay’s Charlie Morton, and eight more than Houston’s Justin Verlander.

In this edition of the 2020 MLB season simulation, we profile two AL teams.

Toronto Blue Jays: The secret to Toronto’s gradual rise in the AL East has been dominance within its division. The Jays rank only eighth in batting at .248 and ninth in pitching at 4.68. But they are 21-14 against AL East teams, including 10-3 against the Orioles.

They do rank fifth in runs scored (294).