Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott go 1-2 in ESPN’s #CFBRank
August 7, 2015O-H Bye Bros: Indians trade Swisher, Bourn, cash to Braves for Chris Johnson
August 7, 2015Ed’s note: If you’ve not already, read up on the Indians trading Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn to the Atlanta Braves.
The 2015 Major League Baseball season has been a bounty of bewildering surprises, none bigger, perhaps, than the rise of the Houston Astros, who sit atop the American League West with a 60-49 record, third best in the AL. The top two records in the AL are held by the Kansas City Royals at 63-44 and the New York Yankees at 61-46.
The American League Central Division may have the most curious set of surprises. The Detroit Tigers, picked by many to play a major role in the race for the American League pennant, have turned out to be a confounding disappointment, but their record, 53-55, isn’t as stunning as the recent, abrupt departure of their general manager, Dave Dombrowski.
And did anyone, anyone at all, pick the Minnesota Twins, under rookie manager Paul Molitor, to be a serious part of the picture for the 2015 postseason? The Twins have struggled of late, but at 54-54, they’re not out of it by any stretch. The Angels and Blue Jays currently hold the top positions in the race for the two AL Wild Card spots. Next come the Orioles, Rangers, and Twins, and the Twins are just three games out of the second Wild Card spot.
For a month or two, the Cleveland Indians, with that infamous Sports Illustrated cover lurking around every corner, were certainly in the discussion for biggest surprise of the season — disappointment-style, that is. In hindsight, however, perhaps it isn’t all that surprising. There simply wasn’t much evidence going into the 2015 season that the Indians offense would be good enough to contend. Is it really a such a shock that they’ve been below average this year?
Again, in hindsight, maybe the biggest surprise about the American League this year is that so few realized how good Kansas City had become. Cleveland? Detroit? The only race in the Central Division is among those teams vying for a Wild Card spot.
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The Indians and Twins have played two series thus far this season. The Twins won two of three in Minneapolis back from April 17 to 19. Then, in Cleveland from May 8 to 10, the Twins took another two of three. Going into that May series, the writing was already on the wall. The Indians, after 27 games, were 10-17 and 7.5 games behind the 18-10 Royals. The Twins were the hottest team in baseball, having gone 10-3 in their last 13 games. They were 16-13 overall and just 2.5 games out of first place.
Back in early May, the Twins’ stats were already offering indications they would not be the last place team that some had predicted. The Indians, however, were not trending well at all, and, as it turned out, the only counter to their inevitable drift to the bottom was wishful thinking.
Three months later, the Indians and Twins meet again.
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Scheduled Pitchers for the series (all right-handers):
Cody Anderson ( 2-3, 3.38, 45.1 IP) vs. Mike Pelfrey (5-7, 3.65, 118.1 IP)
Trevor Bauer (8-8, 3.98, 131 IP) vs. Ervin Santana (2-2, 3.89, 39.1 IP)
Corey Kluber (6-12, 3.60, 162.2 IP) vs. Phil Hughes (10-7, 4.14, 141.1 IP)
The Indians pitching staff overall this season has the 7th best ERA in the American League (3.82). The Twins are 11th at 4.06. Since the All-Star break the Twins staff is in a slump with an ERA of 5.26, 14th best. The Tribe since the break is 9th best at 3.97.
The Kansas City Royals lead the American League with a 10.15 ERA with runners in scoring position. Indians pitchers, with runners in scoring position, have a 12.61 ERA. That’s 12th in the AL. The Twins, at 11.54, are 9th.
Twins starters (4.07) and Indians starters (4.11) rank 6th and 7th in the AL for the season. Indians relievers (3.22) are 4th best in the AL this season, while the Twins relievers are 11th best (4.04).
Offensively, there isn’t a great deal that separates these two teams. They’re both bottom tier teams in nearly every offensive category: Runs, hits, home runs, batting average. The Indians, though, are second in the AL in walks and the Twins are 12th. As for on-base percentage, the Indians are 5th, the Twins are 15th.
The Twins’ lineup is not exactly one to strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers. Not one Minnesota regular has a batting average over .277. Since the All-Star break the Yankees lead the American League in runs scored with 119. The Twins are 13th with 67 and the Indians are 15th (i.e., last) with 61.
The Indians’ team batting average for the season is .248, compared to the Twins average of .247. Which brings us to one of the big differences between the two teams (and I know you know this): Hitting with runners in scoring position. The Twins, at .275 with RISP, are hitting well above their season average. The Indians, at .225, are well below their season average. With two outs and runners in scoring position, the Twins hit .233, while the Indians hit .169. That’s .169!
Check your equipment, gentlemen, maybe it’s defective.
As impressive as the Twins have been this season, they haven’t been doing well since the All-Star break. They went into the break with a record of 49-40, but since July 17, the Twins have gone 5-14. They lost two of three to each of the A’s, Angels, and Yankees. Then they lost both of a two-game set to the Pirates, split a four-game series with the Mariners, and then lost four straight to the Toronto Blue Jays. However, at 54-54, they still have their sights set on the postseason.
The Twins record at home is 34-22, but on the road, they’re only 20-32. This weekend, however, the Twins are in Cleveland, where the Tribe’s home record is — amazingly — 20-32.
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