Coronavirus (COVID-19) MLB Update – September 14th

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It’s crunch time! No team, not even the Los Angeles Dodgers, have locked down their division. If there’s a silver-lining to a 60-game MLB Season, it’s that less games have made underlay favorites to start the season, like the Dodgers, Yankees, and Astros, vulnerable. So, instead of worrying about baseball’s 2020 past, let’s think about the final stretch of the 2020 Regular Season because it looks like it’s going to be a fun one to bet on against the MLB odds!

MLB COVID-19 Update – September 14th Edition

2020 Major League Baseball Season

When: July 23 through September 27

Where: Various Venues

2020 World Series Futures

New York Yankees +700
Los Angeles Dodgers +340
Houston Astros +2000
Atlanta Braves +1200
St. Louis Cardinals +3300
Minnesota Twins +1200
Washington Nationals +100000
New York Mets +5500
Philadelphia Phillies +3000
L.A. Angels +75000
Boston Red Sox +100000
Cleveland Indians +2200
Chicago Cubs +1400
Tampa Bay Rays +650
Oakland Athletics +950
Cincinnati Reds +6000
Milwaukee Brewers +5000
Chicago White Sox +1000
San Diego Padres +900
Arizona Diamondbacks +40000
Texas Rangers +75000
Toronto Blue Jays +2500
Colorado Rockies +6000
Pittsburgh Pirates +150000
San Francisco Giants +3000
Seattle Mariners +30000
Baltimore Orioles +15000
Detroit Tigers +20000
Kansas City Royals +100000
Miami Marlins +3500

White Sox, Cleveland, and Twins battling for AL Central

The American League Central is the deepest division in baseball. Nobody thought it would be at the beginning of the truncated season. Minnesota was a lock to win the Central.

The Twins are in contention, but they aren’t a lock. One of the reasons? Both the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox have an ace pitcher. For the Tribe, it’s Shane Beiber. Shane is 7-1 with a 1.53 ERA and a .87 WHIP.

The White Sox signed Dallas Kuechel. The 2015 Cy Young Winner is 6-2 with a 2.19 ERA. Kuechel is on the 10-day injured list, which could give the Twins a chance to make up ground on Chicago.

By “ground”, we mean a single game. That’s how strong all both teams have played this season. One thing to note? The White Sox average .273 at the plate. That ranks second in MLB. The Team ERA is 3.53, which ranks third in Major League Baseball.

If Kuechel returns and the White Sox still have an edge, no matter how slight, they’re the favorites to win the division down the stretch.

Dodgers aren’t an NL West lock

In a week, a lot can change. That’s especially true for Major League Baseball where teams play every day. Take the Dodgers as an example. A week ago, the Dodgers had a 6.5 games lead over the San Diego Padres.

The Padres have cut that lead by 4 games. San Diego has momentum. Their on a 7-game winning streak heading into Monday, August 14. The Padres average 5.69 runs per game, boast a 3.93 Team ERA, and should have the NL MVP this season in shortstop Fernando Tatis.

That makes them a legit contender to the Dodgers’ NL West crown.

National League Power 5

Los Angeles Dodgers – They’ve got the lead, but the Padres are right there. The Dodgers are just 2.5 games ahead of San Diego heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
San Diego Padres – After going 8-2 in their last 10, the San Diego Padres cut the Dodgers’ lead. Either San Diego or LAD looks like the pennant winner . . . for now at least.
Atlanta Braves – If the Braves pitching holds up, they’ll have a shot. Max Fried must come back form the 10-day IL and throw as well as he has all season.
Chicago Cubs – On Sunday, Cubs starter Alex Mills threw a no-hitter in Chicago’s 12-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. If Mills can maintain his consistency, Chicago could be tough in the postseason. Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks, and Jon Lester are solid.
Miami Marlins – Like every team on this list, the Marlins have great pitching. For Miami, Sixto Sanchez and Sandy Alcantara are their aces.

American League Power 5

Oakland Athletics – Sean Manaea, finally, is in good form. He’s allowed a single earned run per in each of his last 4 starts for the Athletics.
Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays lead over the Blue Jays is down to 3 ½ games. The lead over the Yankees is at 4.
Chicago White Sox – The White Sox are on a 4-game winning streak. Like we wrote above, if Chicago can win with Dallas Kuechel not starting in 10-days, they should take the AL Central.
Minnesota Twins – Right now, Minnesota is a wildcard squad. That’s because the White Sox are the biggest surprise of this MLB season. The Twins have the fourth best record in the American League and it’s only by a game.
Toronto Blue Jays – The Jays have emerged as a playoff team. The reason? Hyun-Jin Ryu is 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.