by The AL Central race is heating up as the postseason draws closer. The Guardians, who have been the division leaders for much of the season, now only find themselves two and a half games up over both the Royals and Twins. The Guardians were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers after only being able to muster 4 runs throughout all three games of the series.
It was looking as if the Guardians offense was back to pre-all-star break form after sweeping the cubs and winning five straight, but the offense is still struggling post all-star break with the team average being a measles .222,as they are the third worst batting team in front of the white sox (.218) and mariners who are batting an abysmal .203 since the break. The Royals are red hot as they are 18-10 since the break lead by their young phenom Bobby Witt jr. who had an absolutely ridicules July where he led the league in batting average (.489) hits (44) and OPS (1.353). They are winners of 5 straight and are looking to take the division.
Back to the question though, can the Guardians hang onto that one spot and secure the division. The answer is yes, there are still 38 games left in the season and 10 of those games are against their division rivals (6 games against the Royals,4 games against the Twins). The Guardians may be struggling offensively but they are still backed by the best bullpen in baseball along with the best closer in the league being Emmanuel Clase. For the offense to start clicking hitters like Steven Kwan, who had a great start to the season, and David Fry need to produce like they were earlier in the season as Kwan has slumped since the break only batting .225, and fry has been struggling since the middle of June it feels like.
Injuries
I believe injuries will catch up with Minnesota. Their best pitcher Joe Ryan is out with a shoulder injury, and it is unclear if he will return this season. They have also been without two of their best hitters Byron button and Carlos Correa. Correa was having a great season before his injury and has been one of the twins’ most valuable players batting .308 to go along with 47 runs batted in(RBI) and has also launched 13 homers.
He has been dealing with a right heel injury that has kept him out the whole second half of the season though there is optimisms that he will return for them by the end of the season. Buxton was placed 3d on the 10-day IL with a hip injury though he is slated to only be out for an abbreviated amount of time, he has a history of injuries that could keep him off the field as the season Ramps up.
The Guardians are dealing with their fair share of injuries as well though. For starters former Cy Young winner Shayne Bieber has been ruled out for the season after only two starts as he had to undergo season ending surgery way back in April. Relief pitcher Sam Hentges may also miss the rest of the season as he has been dealing with a left shoulder injury. He has been a key piece tote the Cleveland bullpen the last couple of years. The Royals are the heaviest of the three teams as all their star players are seeing the field.
Strength of Schedule
The Royals have the toughest strength of schedule coming up as they must face the first-place guardians (72-52), Phillies (73-51), and Dodgers (74-52). The Guardians will be going into a big time series in the Bronx against the first place Yankees. They also see the Royals (7 games) and Twins (4 games) in what huge games will be to decide the fate of the AL Central. They also will have a tough series against the Dodgers in LA near the end of the season.
The Twins have the weakest of the three teams though not much weaker as they hey have 4 more games against the guardians, three against Kansas City, and face top teams such as the Padres and orioles still.
Conclusion
In conclusion the AL Central is so competitive and so neck and neck it really depends on what team can get hot by the end of the year. It is still too early to tell what team is going to run away with the division, though it is looking like it is going to be a dog fight all the way to the end with all three teams fighting for that one spot. It is hard to tell if the Guardians will be able to hold on to their lead, but one thing is for sure. AL Central is one of, if not the best divisions in baseball and is going to be a battle all the way to October.
