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2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games, July 6-9

By Bill Felber

BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 9: Mitch Moreland #18 of the Boston Red Sox runs to home plate after hitting a home run in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on August 9, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 9: Mitch Moreland #18 of the Boston Red Sox runs to home plate after hitting a home run in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on August 9, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /

In this 2020 MLB season simulation, in the AL East, the Boston Red Sox are on a roll.

By blitzing the Blue Jays while the Yankees were taken down by the Mets, Boston opened up a four and one-half game division lead, something that would have been unthinkable two weeks ago when they were in third place five and one-half games out.

Since then Boston has out-scored its 14 opponents by an average of 7-2. The Jays made as good a run at the Red Sox as any team has done recently, losing two of their three games by a single run. The result, however, was the same.

Boston unleashed its wrath on Toronto Monday, scoring seven times in the third inning to open up an 8-0 lead in what would become a 9-2 victory. Alex Verdugo and the scorchingly hot Mitch Moreland both homered, Moreland’s driving in three runs. Nathan Eovaldi, 7-4, got an easy win.

Moreland absolutely tortured the Jays Tuesday, homering in the second, fourth, and sixth innings. Still, the game was tied 3-3 until the seventh when Rafael Devers took Anthony Bass deep for a 4-3 Boston win.

The Blue Jays appeared to have Wednesday’s finale in the bag, leading 8-3 into the bottom of the eight. That’s when the Sox unleashed a five-run attack on reliever Wilmer Font, the key shot being Jonathan Lucroy’s three-run home run.

That tied the game and sent it into extra innings, when Devers’ walk-off RBI double off A.J. Cole scored Verdugo with the 9-8 winner.

The Yankees ran afoul of Stephen Matz Tuesday. Completing seven innings, Matz allowed one run and five hits in a 9-1 victory. Pete Alonso homered twice and Michael Conforto hit a three-run home run to highlight a five-run first off loser Jonathan Loaisiga, 8-6.

The Mets added Wednesday’s win 8-5 behind Matt Adams, who homered twice and drove in five runs.

Related Story. 2020 MLB Season: Simulating AL games, June 29-July 2. light

                                               W-L         Pct           GB

Boston Red Sox                54-39     .581        —

New York Yankees           50-44     .532        4.5

Toronto Blue Jays             50-44     .532        4.5

Tampa Bay Rays               47-47     .500        7.5

Baltimore Orioles             34-62     .354     21.5

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