AL Central: 12 Game Report

 Whew, 12 games through the AL Central and a third of the way through the first divisional round robins. It's been a shocking season thus far in the Central, with Chicago claiming first place behind explosive power and top pitcher Justin Verlander struggling to keep opposing teams off the board. There was a lot more offense in the Central than the East, demonstrated most aptly by the 16-2 Cleveland over CWS victory and the Twins 21-7 win over Detroit. Without further ado, the complete standings and player stats.

Standings: The most surprising team has easily been the Chicago White Sox, who sit alone in first place after winning every series they've played thus far two games to one. Chicago is being pursued tightly by the Indians, who lead the division in runs scored and runs allowed, giving them a huge gap in point differential. Kansas City hangs close behind the second best pitching unit, but needs more offensive production to stay in the hunt. If Detroit can get any sort of stop from their starters, they should climb back into contention as well. However, they're currently the worst pitching staff in baseball, with a 6.50 ERA! Minnesota's season looks like it'll be a frosty one, as their woeful back five in the batting order and mediocre staff have them in the cellar.

However, the Twins do have the current co-HR leader in the AL Central, as Derek Jeter's tied with Manny Ramirez, both with five homers. Six players are right on their heels with 4 HRs, making this the most powerful division in baseball. All in all, teams scored a combined average of 8.8 runs per game, nearly a whole run higher than the AL East (8.03 per game). All the power has led to some exciting power baseball, inflated ERAs, and some surefire offensive all stars.


Team Stats
Chicago (8-4, first place)
Runs Scored: 56 (4.67 per game)
Runs Allowed: 53 (4.42 per game)

Hitting: With 17 HRs in 12 games, the White Sox are using the long ball to devastating effect early in the season. Only their leadoff hitter has yet to hit a HR, giving them potent weapons throughout the order. The biggest surprise has been ninth hitter Chris Singleton, who despite a 7 OB, is hitting over .350 and is second on the team with 10 RBIs. Meanwhile, Charles Johnson is leading the team and the division in batting average with a .420 clip. Fellow slugger Frank Thomas is the leading MVP candidate however, turning in an impressive first quarter with 4 HRs, 11 RBI, and a .352 average. If Durham and Valentin can up their OBPs by 20 points in the next quarter, the White Sox should keep their divisional lead.

Pitching: The key to the White Sox success may appear to be power, but it's more accurate to attribute it to the consistent starting pitching (David Wells aside). Sale, Peavy, and Buerhle all have ERAs near 3, combining to go 6-2 on the mound. The bullpen has been equally outstanding, especially stud Keith Foulke, who has thrown 10 IP while racking up 4 saves and neglecting to give up a single run. Wells has bounced back from a 16 run shelling from Cleveland, even picking up a key victory in his final start. If he starts putting together some more wins, watch out America, the White Sox will be in the playoffs!

Cleveland (7-5, second place, one game back)
Runs Scored: 58 (4.83 per game)
Runs Allowed: 36 (3 per game)

Hitting: The best line-up in the division belongs to the Indians, although they've struggled to find their power groove (only four players with HRs). However, efficient and timely hitting, along with a plethora of doubles, have propelled them into the runs per game lead. The top four hitters all have an average greater than .340 and OBP above .400, making them an absolutely potent bunch. Cleveland has also been able to jump out early on teams, playing with a lead and driving opposing pitchers ERA into the stratosphere. Alomar and Ramirez are tied for the RBI lead in the division, both with 16, while Vizquez leads the division in runs with 13. Truly on pace for historic numbers, this offense always keeps Cleveland alive in a game.

Pitching: The Indians staff has been very effective, especially at the top of the rotation. Lee, Masterson, and Finley are all on Cy Young watch lists with ERAs at 2.45 or lower and WHIPs hovering near 1. Joe Smith has been an excellent back-stopper in the bullpen, leading the relievers in IP while not allowing a single run. Their bullpen has yet to be needed on a decision, showing that they're great at protecting leads. This staff is currently tied with Boston for the lowest team ERA, a stat that should translate well in the long term for this Cleveland squad.

Detroit (5-7, fourth place, three games back)
Runs Scored: 54 (4.5 per game)
Runs Allowed: 78 (6.5 per game)

Hitting: The Tigers lineup has not been the issue, as players like Austin Jackson, Bobby Higginson, Miguel Cabrera, and Prince Fielder have flourished. However, they have missed far too many opportunities, frequently leaving runners stranded on base. Fielder only has 4 RBIs, despite hitting .380 in the 5 hole. Juan Gonzalez is beginning to up his average, which should help both his power numbers, RBIs, and the overall run production of this Tiger team. Avila and Peralta have been disappointing and are needed to outscore teams like Chicago and Cleveland.

Pitching: Detroit's pitching has been dreadful. Verlander has been the greatest shock in the first quarter, getting lit up twice and ending up with a near 6 ERA. Doug Fister hasn't been much better, ending up with a 5.85 ERA. Meanwhile, Chris Holt has been downright awful, giving up double digit runs in a mere 6 innings in two of his three starts. The bullpen has struggled as well, particularly Valverde and Brocail. Overall, the pen is 0-2 with a blown save. Detroit will need to be better than their 6.50 team ERA if they want to climb back into the divisional hunt.

Kansas City (6-6, third place, two games back)
Runs Scored: 42 (3.5 per game)
Runs Allowed: 41 (3.42 per game)

Hitting: The worst scoring attack in the league has suffered from a lack in consistent hitting. Only two players are batting over .300 and they're hitting 7th and 8th. More concerning, There's only one player with an OBP over .350 (8th hitter Deshields, .378). If Kansas City cannot start getting on base more, they'll have a hard time keeping up with explosive, front running offenses like Chicago and Cleveland. Alex Gordon has been a bright spot with 10 doubles, but he only has 3 RBIs to show for it. A-Rod is 2nd in the division with 4 HRs, but he's only hitting .167! The key will be getting more base runners; if they can do that, Kansas City could make an unexpected run at first place.

Pitching: Grienke has been lights out all season, but has a 1-2 record to show for it thanks to lousy run support. David Cone lacks a good ERA and WHIP, but his team has been able to get him to 3-0. The biggest problem for this staff has been HRs, already allowing 16 in just 12 games. If they can start limiting the long ball, this already very good pitching staff will have a shot at being elite. Especially with a reliever like Jose Santiago, who has gone 11 IP without surrendering a run!

Minnesota (4-8, fourth place, four games back)
Runs Scored: 54 (4.5 per game)
Runs Allowed: 56 (4.67 per game)

Hitting: The Twins have been great at the top, bad at the bottom. Ellsbury has yet to find consistency in the leadoff spot, but has shown flashes of brilliance while Derek Jeter, Joe Mauer, and Josh Willingham turned in All-Star performances. Alex Ochoa also showed a lot of promise, getting on base frequently but not driving in or scoring a lot of runs (5 Rs, 5 RBIs). They need a lot more from their 7-9 hitters, who're hitting a measly .178 combined. If they can get anything substantial from that group, Minnesota could push their way out of the cellar, but it'll be a tough grind.

Pitching: The pitching staff has not looked too good, especially the top of the starting pitching. The top three pitchers are a combined 2-7 thus far, a trend of losing that doesn't seem like it'll be ending soon. Eric Milton seems over-matched in his ace role, especially with Grienke, Lee, Verlander, and Sale going against him. Radke has actually managed to pitch fairly well (2.86 ERA), but run support has evaded him. The bullpen has seen solid performances from Nathan (3/3 save opportunities) and Perkins (0.00 ERA), although Wells and Guardado have struggled. If the Twins want to avoid last place, they need all their struggling pitchings (i.e.: the five with an ERA of 4.50 or more) to pick it up.