2020 MLB Season: Simulating NL games, June 1-4
By Bill Felber
Atlanta makes life rough for the Dodgers in this 2020 MLB season simulation.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers have raced through the first two months of the 2020 NL simulation season like competing runaway trains. But in the early June mid-week home series, both clubs hit roadblocks.
The Diamondbacks were slowed by the Colorado Rockies, who came into Phoenix and won two of three games. But Arizona did not have to cede ground to the Dodgers because the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves did exactly the same thing to them.
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The result: stasis. Arizona continues to lead the division by one game and those two teams continue to present the majors’ two best records.
The Dodgers have, however, slowed noticeably, having won just six of their last 10 games. That includes Monday’s 12-2 pounding of Ross Stripling, 3-5, by the Braves and Max Fried, 8-2.
Ronald Acuna Jr. homered and drove in three runs for Atlanta, while Marcell Ozuna doubled and drove in three more.
The Dodgers briefly got even Tuesday, Walker Buehler, 5-1, checking Atlanta into the seventh inning of an eventual 5-4 victory. A.J. Pollock drove in three runs. But the Braves took the Wednesday rubber game 4-0 behind Sean Newcomb’s 11th victory of the season. Newcomb pitched into the eighth and was supported by home runs off the bat of Nick Markakis and Dansby Swanson.
In other mid-week action, the Philadelphia Phillies took two of three games in Miami, Milwaukee swept the Washington Nationals, and San Diego took three of four in San Francisco.
light. Related Story. 2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games, June 1-4
The Mets split mid-week inter-league games with the Houston Astros, after which they won the opener of a four-game weekend series in Washington. Cincinnati lost the wrapup of its series with the Cubs, split a pair with the Pirates, then came home and lost to the Cubs again in the opener of a four-game set.
The Cardinals had a disastrous week, losing two inter-league games to the Toronto Blue Jays and then falling to Pittsburgh in the opener of a weekend series.
After the Rockies handled the Diamondbacks in Phoenix, they opened a four-game set of their own in Los Angeles and lost to the Dodgers.