The two best teams in the American League Central brutalized their opponents on Thursday. The Twins crushed the Rangers, 13-6. The Indians pulled off an even more decisive victory, destroying the mighty Yankees by a 19-5 score. On the heels of those wins, Minnesota and Cleveland entered play Friday neck and neck in the division, which has largely been the case over the past couple weeks. The Twins hold a half-game lead over the Indians, the three-time reigning AL Central champions.
The fact that the race has gotten this close is somewhat hard to believe. For most of the season, the division has looked like the Twins’ in a runaway. They owned an 11-game edge over the Tribe as recently as June 15, but the Indians have chipped away since then. Despite the long-term absences of arguably their two top pitchers – Corey Kluber (out since May 1 with a fractured forearm) and Carlos Carrasco (out since May 30 because of leukemia) – the Indians have remained on the Twins’ heels. The Indians also traded away high-end starter Trevor Bauer prior to last month’s deadline, though they received immediate help for their lineup in outfielders Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes in return.
Cleveland’s starting staff, which should at least get Kluber back sometime soon, has gotten by mostly because of young sensation Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger. Meanwhile, the ERAs of rookie Zach Plesac and Adam Plutko have far outperformed much weaker peripherals, while first-year right-hander Aaron Civale has been excellent over his first few starts. And the Indians’ lineup, which was a sore spot earlier in the season, has risen from the dead with help from Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis – both of whom struggled mightily at the outset of the campaign – among those complementing Carlos Santana and Francisco Lindor.
The Indians went into play Friday with 169 home runs – 67 fewer than the major league-leading Twins’ 236. Minnesota’s on track to breeze past the single-season record of 267 that the Yankees set just a year ago, but the Twins’ co-leader, designated Nelson Cruz (32 HRs), has been on the injured list since last week because of a strained wrist. Their lineup’s still in enviable shape – Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario and Luis Arraez are among those enjoying standout seasons – but the team has nonetheless stopped operating at a breakneck pace. Since it held its 11-game lead over the Indians two months ago, Minnesota has gone a mediocre 26-26. Starters Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson and Martin Perez have all slowed down to some degree as the season has moved along, while the Twins’ bullpen – despite the acquisitions of Sam Dyson and Sergio Romo before the deadline – hasn’t thrived.
Considering the Twins have been atop the AL Central throughout the year and currently lead the division, they’re the front-runners to take it this year. Indeed, FanGraphs gives the Twins a 60.6 percent chance to win the division and the Indians 39.4 percent odds. But it would be unwise to count out Cleveland, which has remarkably rallied to make it a legitimate race and still has six regular-season matchups left against Minnesota. Which of the two teams do you expect to win the division?
(Poll link for app users)
Where is the Royals option!?
wait for 2021 ;)
*2023
*2045
Given the refusal or reluctance to restructure salaries in MLB, hasn’t the time come to have a division that features KC, Pittsburgh, Miami, Seattle, and the Reds? Think of the rivalries
Woah why can’t I vote for the Tigers?
Imagine thinking the Twins will win the Central
getting pretty easy to imagine ;)
Obviously not the white socks (@chiSox fan)
I just figured out that Chisox_Fan is Hawk Harrelson.
Twins will shock and lose the division not surprising that’s what they do
What? They Twins haven’t lost their division lead after having a double digit lead in their entire history, so far as I’m aware. Just wondering what you’re talking abou…
After the games were completed on Monday, August 12, 2019, the official standings for the top two teams in the American League Central Division looked like this:
1. Cleveland 72-47 .605. –
2. Minnesota 71-47 .602. 1/2 GB
Source. Baseballreference.com
This proves that at one point this season, the Indians DID pass the Twins.
I’m guessing they meant they have had a double digit lead and have won the division every year that has happened…regardless if that lead had evaporated at one point during a season or not.
Not sure if true, but I believe that’s what they meant.
Could be.
Twins because they only hit daddy hacks
Let me see them do that without the juiced ball and light air Minnesota
Let me refer you to the 1987 pennant flying over the left field wall: juiced balls are awesome. Win the game they’re playing, not the one your dad wants to watch.
Light air? Also, unless they change the ball midseason, which they won’t, we dont need to see what they look like with another ball because they are playing with this ball.
I did not know that the air was lighter in Minnesota than in, say, Cleveland. I think Colorado is the team of whom you speak.
Arizona is another high altitude park that balls fly out of, they are using a humidor just like Colorado.
Not sure what light air is…
Also, all the other teams are using the same baseball. They are free to hit HR’s too.
A lot of people the wrote the Tribe and Jose Ramirez off have been noticeably absent around here lately.
Agreed. Most people know you don’t write the Tribe off until the playoffs.
I’ll admit I wrote off Ramirez back in may or early June. I’ll eat my crow
Was easy to do when they were down a lot of pitching and had like two hitters in April. They’ve played well against the bad teams to come back and they deserve to be where they are right now.
How did this get written without any reference to the remaining strength of schedule? It’s a pretty big deal. The Twins have 26 games left against non-CLE AL Central teams (ie CHW, DET, KC) with 41 to play. That’s a lot of games against some terrible teams. (CLE only has 16 such games.) Cleveland has some tough ones left to replace them: TAM, NYM, PHI. The closest they come to a non-divisional creampuff is ANA, and they’re not terrible. And while MIN is spending this weekend in TEX the Indians are at NYY.
Agreed and the fact CLE had one of the easiest schedules all year. I’m surprised by Cleveland, who will gat a wild card spot, but their schedule set them up for a first have win and a tough second half
Sounds great if they didn’t hold their own with the tougher teams on their schedule and on the road. You never know, the AL East feasted on the powerhouse Orioles and yet Cleveland was embarrassed by them. You build your team to get to the playoffs and once there every team has @ fighters chance.
Well, since my Redsox are mostly out of contention this year, I’d be quite happy to see either of these teams take the pennant and WS. Probably rooting for MN over CLE since I know the city better. But I’ve got nothing but good wishes for Tito Francona.
Anyone but the Yanks.
Running the twin cities marathon first weekend in October and hoping to pair it with a playoff game. Go twins!
Both the Tigers and the Royals are on pace to lose over 100 games. (The Tigers 112, The Royals 104),
So, although the Twins and Indians are both on pace to win 98 games, it would be the two sloppiest 98 game win seasons in history.
You obviously haven’t watched either team then. Maybe they should be playing powerhouses like the Orioles instead.
Of course I’ve watched both teams. My comment simply stated that in a division with TWO 100 games losers (has it even ever happened????) the winner(s) in that division are suspect.
Beating up on Baltimore and Toronto much be so much harder…
Saw the Indians on a hot streak, as they beat the Twins.
That team is bad-ass…
My pick is that the Twins win the division, and get bounced early in the playoffs.
The Indians learn their lesson, and come back stronger.
Indians learn what lesson? If it’s the lesson of dealing with salary constraints and trying to remain competitive they not only learned that lesson they’ve got a PHD.
The Twins play nothing but the Royals and Tigers the last two weeks of the season. Save for 3 games with Boston and 6 with the Indians, their remaining 41 games are rather soft. Cleveland’s time came and went. In 2017 they had a stacked bullpen and were fresh off a 22 game winning streak. They won the first two against the Yankees, then Aaron judge robbed Francisco Lindor of a home run in game 3. It would have won the game. Instead, the Yankees won that game and the next two and the Indians were done.
So the Indians won’t win the division in 2019 because they lost in the ALDS in 2017?
The Tribe will win the division only if Brad Hand can be successful the rest of the regular season.
Unfortunately, the Indians won’t advance beyond round one of the postseason.
White Sox, clearly.