American League Central Update May 28, 2021

Indians Deliver Francona 700th Victory

Ace Shane Bieber allowed one hit over seven innings, and the Cleveland Indians topped the Detroit Tigers, 7-2, to deliver manager Terry Francona his 700th victory as the Indians’ skipper. Beiber struck out 12 in the performance and carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning before a leadoff home run by Jonathan Schoop.

Francona became the third manager in Indians’ history to record 700 victories as the manager of the Tribe. The 62-year old is 29 wins away from becoming Cleveland’s winningest manager in franchise history.

Key Reliever for White Sox Heads to Bereavement List

Relief pitcher Michael Kopech was placed on the bereavement list Thursday and must remain on the list for at least three days but no more than seven. Kopech fell after throwing a pitch in a scoreless inning on Wednesday, with the Sox saying he injured his hamstring.

Kopech has been one of the more reliable arms for the White Sox this season, compiling a 1.78 ERA with a 2-0 record and 45 strikeouts. Chicago purchased the contract of Ryan Burr from Triple A-Charlotte to replace Kopech in the bullpen.

Royals Activate Mondesi from Injured List

The Kansas City Royals got an essential piece of its offense and defense back this week when they activated shortstop Adalberto Mondesi from the injured list. Mondesi had been on the shelf for the first 45 games of the season with an oblique injury he suffered during spring training.

The 25-year old switch hitter ended the 2020 season on a tear, batting .376 with six home runs over the final 22 games of the season. Injuries have always plagued Mondesi’s career, and he has never played in more than 102 games in a season.

Minnesota Sweeps Baltimore

After a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles during the week, the Twins carry a four-game winning streak into the weekend. Minnesota has won six of its last seven games as they host the Royals this weekend in the Twin Cities.

Outfielder Alex Kirilloff is a key reason for the Twins’ recent success. The 23-year old rookie returned to the Minnesota lineup on May 21st and has raised his batting average from .214 to .242 with four RBIs and four runs scored during the seven-game stretch.

Tigers Sit at the Bottom of Standings

The Detroit Tigers began the season falling to 15-games under .500 and tumbled to the bottom of AL Central standings. Currently, Detroit is 10.5 games back in the division and has the fourth-worst record in baseball.

However, the Tigers have shown marginal improvements this month, sporting a 10-11 mark with only a -4 run differential. Detroit has seen recent advances in their pitching staff and some of their veteran hitters this month. As a result, the Tigers’ walk rate is offensively, and their aggressiveness on the basepaths has added an uptick in runs scored.