2020 AL simulation: The surprising Cleveland Indians
By Bill Felber
AL West: The Astros have it all
The Astros have dominated the AL West since pounding the Los Angeles Angels 18-3 on opening day. Houston has gotten balanced production led by veteran first baseman Yuli Gurriel and young DH Yordan Alvarez.
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Gurriel is second in the batting race at .364 and second in RBIs with 90. He had a 29-game hitting streak. Alvarez is hitting .323 with a .666 slugging average with 30 home runs and 85 RBIs.
The team is batting .300 with a .371 on base average both league highs.
If the Astros have had a weakness, it’s been an uneven rotation. They are third in team ERA at 3.84. That’s largely attributable to the two aces, Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke, who are a combined 24-8 with ERAs below 3.25.
The Oakland Athletics trail only Cleveland in the major pitching categories. That’s what has kept them in the wild card race, and on the fringes of the division race. Frankie Montas is 9-3 with a 2.37 ERA, and Mike Fiers is 11-6, 3.87.
But Sean Manaea’s numbers summarize Oakland’s performance. Despite a 3.06 ERA, he’s only 8-9 thanks to just 3.6 runs of support.
The Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers remain in the wild card race despite records on the fringes of .500. The Angels are three games behind the Athletics; the Rangers are four and a half out in the wild card.
dark. Next. Time to call off the season
The Seattle Mariners would consider it a successful year if they can avoid finishing with the AL’s worst record.
W-L Pct GB
Houston Astros 61-34 .642 —
Oakland Athletics 52-44 .542 9.5
Los Angeles Angels 49-47 .510 12.5
Texas Rangers 48-49 .495 14
Seattle Mariners 37-61 .378 25.5