7 Games to Decide the Division

Cleveland Indians (Twins up 4-3 in season series)

What We Know

The Indians haven’t had an off-day since last Thursday, so they won’t be exactly rested heading into a three-game series this weekend. Unfortunately for the Twins, Shane Bieber is lined up to pitch Game 1 at Target Field. He’s faced the Twins twice this season and picked up the win in both contests while striking out 10 batters or more. Minnesota hitters have gone 7-for-49 (.143 BA) against him with one extra-base hit. He’s the front runner for the AL Cy Young and he’s the type of pitcher that could wreak havoc in a playoff series.

What’s Left to Find Out

Cleveland’s offense has been anemic for a majority of the season, so will they find enough offense to win the division?

Only five teams have a lower OPS than the Indians and their wRC+ is also near the bottom of all of baseball. Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor and Franmil Reyes have carried the offensive load, but who’s to say if they will be able to carry the team all the way to October glory. Cleveland’s pitching is good enough to keep them in any game and they will have to take a wait and see approach with the team’s offense.

Chicago White Sox (Twins up 4-2 in season series)

What We Know

Chicago was a wild card coming into the season, because few knew how their young players were going to gel at the big-league level. It turns out their offense is legitimate as they have the American League’s highest wRC+ and highest OPS.

They also have barreled up the ball over 10% of the time and only the Padres have done it more often. Eloy Jimenez, Jose Abreu and Luis Robert all have Hard Hit %’s north of 40%. For Twins fans, their offense is reminiscent of what was expected from Minnesota this season, even though that hasn’t come to fruition.

What’s Left to Find Out

It has become clear throughout the Twins six games with Chicago that the White Sox defense certainly struggles. Could these defensive woes be an Achilles heel for the club?

Minnesota currently has the highest Defensive Runs Above Average (DEF) in baseball and the fourth highest Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). In comparison, Chicago’s defense doesn’t rank that low. They rank one spot better than the Twins in DRS, the highest total in the AL, and they are third in baseball in DEF. Chicago’s defensive blunders come through in other statistics such as having 29 errors, which is the fourth highest in baseball.

All three top teams in the AL Central will make the postseason, so some of the drama is removed from these late-season games. However, there are bragging rights that come with being the team that wins the division and having homefield advantage in the first round would certainly be helpful. The Twins don’t need to win the division, but the club is in control of its own destiny over the next seven games.

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