In this 2020 MLB season sim, there’s Turbulence in Toronto in the AL East.
Little more than a week ago the Toronto Blue Jays were riding a 12-game winning streak and sitting just one-half game out of the AL East lead. But the Jays have run into turbulence since then, and Tampa Bay’s three-game visit to Rogers Centre only added to those problems.
The Jays won Tuesday’s series opener 2-0 behind Hyun-Jin Ryu, 7-5. Lourdes Gurriel singled home Toronto’s leadoff hitter, Dante Bichette, who had doubled, and that was all Ryu and two relievers needed.
But the Rays took Wednesday’s contest 7-6, Brandon Lowe homering twice and driving in three runs. Then on Thursday, the Rays looked like the team pushing for the division lead, tying into Chase Anderson for five runs in the first three innings of a 10-1 knockout. Blake Snell, 8-3, allowed four hits, one a Travis Shaw home run, in six innings, and Yandy Diaz drilled three home runs along with two doubles, giving him 16 total bases and five RBIs.
The Red Sox lost the first game of their inter-league series with the Atlanta Braves 11-4. Freddie Freeman doubled twice and drove in four runs and Travis d’Arnaud hit a three-run home run in the seventh. Left-hander Sean Newcomb, who has bounced between starting and relief roles, picked up for starter Felix Hernandez in the sixth inning and did well enough to earn his league-leading 12th victory against five defeats.
The Red Sox recovered nicely Wednesday, hitting Max Fried for seven runs in the first two innings of a 12-6 win. Alex Verdugo’s three hits, one of them a home run, drove in three runs.
W-L Pct GB
New York Yankees 43-33 .566 —
Toronto Blue Jays 40-35 .533 2.5
Boston Red Sox 38-37 .507 4.5
Tampa Bay Rays 35-41 .461 8
Baltimore Orioles 25-51 .329 18