AL Central Weekly Recap 2
MINNESOTA TWINS
AL Central Weekly Recap: The Minnesota Twins (5-7) have fallen to the last spot in the AL Central as they went the opposite way. After a strong 10-2 win over the Seattle Mariners back on Saturday, they went on a five-game losing streak before today’s afternoon game against the Boston Red Sox.
The first loss came after the game went into extra innings. With a runner on second rule being reinstated for one more season, Seattle was able to take advantage of the situation as Mitch Haniger hit a sacrifice fly to give the Mariners the lead in the 10th.
Except for the one bad game against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, pitching wasn’t bad but the bats stayed cold. However, the Twins got the win in the bottom of the ninth today as Max Kepler drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
The Chicago White Sox (6-7) have won two of their last five games. It’s the same storyline as the Minnesota Twins as both pitching for the most part did their part but the bats haven’t shown up as of yet. However, they did shut down the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday in their 8-0 victory.
Designated hitter Yermin Mercedes is starting to catch the attention of many teams and fans around the league. He is currently on a tear with a .476 batting average, .522 OBP, and a .786 SLG through ten games.
The White Sox were involved in the best pitching duel so far this season but came out on the losing end of the battle. Lucas Giolito went 7.0 innings strong, giving up three hits, and two walks with eight strikeouts in a no-decision on his end.
DETROIT TIGERS
The Detroit Tigers (6-6) lost to the Indians to end last weekend. The former top prospect Casey Mize has proven why 2020 was a bad representation of what he can bring to the table in the big leagues.
In 7.0 innings pitched against the Houston Astros, Mize only gave up four hits, two walks, and struck out five batters. The Tigers pitching staff and hitters had a good week as they put up a total of twenty runs in the three-game sweep against the Astros as they headed into Oakland to face the Athletics.
CLEVELAND INDIANS
The Cleveland Indians (6-5) have flipped the table in the AL Central division early. They went on a four-game winning streak before facing the White Sox on Monday. The Indians’ bats have been non-existent as the player with the best batting average is Eddie Rosario who has a batting average of .250.
The Indians have relied on their pitching staff to keep the game close but the bats need to start making an impact to win games. The pitching duel between Shane Bieber and Lucas Giolito was the battle of two aces as Bieber came out on top.
Bieber had to throw a complete game to ensure his team the victory. He gave up three hits and one walk in the 11 strikeout effort. The Indians now head into Cincinnati to face the Reds this weekend.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
The Kansas City Royals (7-4) have won three games in a row after losing to the Los Angeles Angels 10-3. Whit Merrifield is batting .364 with three home runs so far. Salvador Perez is also off to a hot start, batting .302 after signing a contract extension.
Pitcher Danny Duffy has only given up 1 earned run in 12.0 innings of work and only has a 0.75 ERA through two games. The starting rotation has been one of the bright spots early as Jacob Junis has a 1.50 ERA in 12.0 innings.
