Another quick hitter tonight, was thinking of banging it but how could I possibly do that to the AL Central (again)

As I sit here typing this I am finding myself having an existential crisis and asking a very pertinent question

Am I about to start believing in the Twins? Let’s talk about that:

1st Place — Minnesota Twins (11-7, 6-1 L7 Days)

Weighing if it’s the Red Sox slipping back into the abyss or if I want to trust the Twins is a tough one.

On one hand the Red Sox were showing flashes last week and the Twins have worked them 19-6 in their two victories to kick off this series, clinching a series win in the process. The Twins won 6-0 on the back of a Mick Abel MASTERCLASS, throwing 7 Shutout Innings with 10 K’s and no walks.

The long term outlook is the other side of that coin, and honestly my whole consternation is that believing in the Twins relies on believing in Derek Shelton. I watched that man for far too long bungle the Pirates in game decisions to really ever trust him again — but maybe that was a Pirate Problem?

The Twins just keep swinging: Bell’s continued dominance at the dish might just have to be considered status quo now as we approach the 20 game mark. Jeffers and Austin Martin continue their ascensions and this team could be taking hold of the Central.

Few teams are hotter than the Twins and they’re playing with swagger, and frankly are a really fun watch right now.

They go for the Sweep of the Sox tomorrow, follow that up with the Reds and then a road trip to Queens against the scuffling Mets.

2nd Place — Cleveland Guardians (10-8, 3-3 L7 Days)

The Guardians are hard to judge right now, they’re winning enough here early, but they still haven’t played a team with a record over .500.

They aren’t hitting a lot right now, they’ve got a negative run differential, they’ve got a couple Starters now pulling their weight. It’s definitively too soon to make a call about this team.

But what I am gonna do, is take some time to talk Parker Messick to you. Because that boy NICE with it.

He throws 6 distinctly different pitches and all 6 grade out at least average if not plus. He’s keeping hitters off balance and keeping the ball on the ground and not letting the balls in the air be hit hard.

I’d like to see a few more whiffs, but he’s filling up the zone and getting the weak contact you have to be thrilled about. Through his 3 starts he has a 0.51 ERA, a sub 1 WHIP (0.91), and an nice FIP at 2.96 that tells me this isn’t terribly flukey.

Guards look to take the series from the Cards tomorrow, then host the Orioles for 4 and the Astros for 3 after.

3rd Place — Detroit Tigers (8-9, 4-2 L7 Days)

After starting the season an MLB worst 4-9, the Tigers have rattled off 4 straight wins off the back of some awesome pitching. In their sweep of the Marlins they only allowed 3 runs in their 3 game set, and then turned around to allow only 1 run in their series opener against the Royals.

The bullpen heard the call that they needed to step up and did, a 3.00 ERA in this little run and none of their back end guys were responsible for those scores.

McGonigle continues an excellent rookie campaign, Riley Greene has joined us in 2026, and Javy Baez is experiencing a fun little week with a 1.200 OPS.

There’s still some small Skubal concerns (in that he’s only just very good rather than ELITE) but they look to finish off a winnable series of games this week. 2 more with the Royals and then a 4 games set with the Red Sox (a rare wraparound series!)

4th Place — Kansas City Royals (7-10, 2-4 L7 Days)

I hate to keep harping on the offseason with this team, but it has to be absolutely gutting for the fans to look up and down this lineup and see what they DIDN’T do this offseason.

We are just over 10% of the way through the season and the Royals have the 3rd fewest runs in baseball. Woof.

There really isn’t a standout hitter in the lineup, Witt is at least stealing bags at an elite clip but they’re not getting enough from Salvy or Caglianone. Two guys they rely on for pop and frankly offense in general.

They also have a bullpen problem, with 7 guys sporting ERA’s over 4

It’s not panic time. They’re 3-3 vs teams with winning records and they still have Ragans (who bounced back from his thumb injury driven early exit with 6 shutout innings in the 2-1 loss Tuesday)

5th Place — Chicago White Sox (6-11, 2-4 L7 Days)

sigh

In an unsurprising series of events the White Sox have the worst run differential in the sport.

I’m not here to beat up on them. Muni Murakami is cooling (and K’ing at an alarming rate), top prospect Noah Schultz had an… uninspiring debut in Tuesday night’s 8-5 loss to the Rays.

They don’t even have a starting hitter with an OPS over .720

The best thing they’ve got going is opener Grant Taylor being a MENACE, who they’ve at least decided they want to start extending into multi-inning openings.

So there’s that…

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Duran continued his saga of being a POS, but it does seem per his account it might have at least been justified

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We had a pair of incredible outfield BAZOOKAS from possibly the two body types that are most dissimilar in baseball

Adolis Garcia with a HOSE to 3rd Base, and Jake Mangum who kept the Pirates comeback hopes alive with a DOT to home

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The Angels went back to back to BACK in a 7-1 victory over the Yankees.

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The Mets offense continues to be REALLY sad

I hope your day brings you as much joy as this picture brings me