The Yankees had the day off on Monday to travel back home after their trip to Los Angeles, and most of the league joined them on the couch. There were a few notable teams in action though, so let’s check in with what the American League had on display.
Detroit Tigers (40-21) 13, Chicago White Sox (18-42) 1
The Tigers made short work of the lowly ChiSox, scoring early and often on them. It all started in the first inning, when Kerry Carpenter and Dillon Dingler both hit bombs off of Jonathan Cannon. They further punished him in the second inning with a Wenceel Pérez two-run blast, giving them a 5-0 lead right off the bat.
Cannon lasted another inning before handing the ball over to Bryse Wilson, who was until recently in Chicago’s rotation. Since he was stretched out, he got tasked with eating innings and did the job, going five innings. The only downside was he got lit up for eight runs on 12 hits in the process, including two more Carpenter home runs. By the time he exited the game, Detroit had a gaudy 13 runs on the scoreboard.
To be fair to Wilson, the White Sox were never in danger of coming back in this one. Jack Flaherty was on the mound for the Tigers, and he cruised through six innings of one-run ball. He did get tagged at the very end for that lone score, giving up a leadoff single in the sixth before a double put two in scoring position. Vinny Capra knocked the lead runner in on a grounder, but the other runner got stranded right after that. Detroit’s bullpen locked down the last three innings with ease, allowing a lone hit and walk along the way.
Other Games
Los Angeles Angels (37-32) 7, Boston Red Sox (29-33) 6: You’d think after putting up six runs in the first inning that the rest of the game would be a cakewalk, but the Angels nearly blew this one despite that good of a start. They jumped Richard Fitts for three home runs in the first inning, including a three-run bomb from Mike Trout. However, Boston clawed back quickly, getting on the board in the third with a Rafael Devers double and scoring three in the fifth on a pair of RBI doubles. An Angels insurance run in the sixth — a Jo Adell solo bomb — ended up being the difference maker, as Ceddanne Rafaela hit one of his own to close the gap in the eighth. Kenley Jansen closed the door on his former team though, retiring the side in order in the ninth.
Minnesota Twins (32-27) 10, Athletics (23-38) 4: A six-spot in the first is good, but the Twins settled for a six-spot in the second and did just fine. They took our old friend Luis Severino to task, collecting eight runs on nine hits over 5.2 innings. Joe Ryan was alright, lasting five innings while giving up four runs, but that was more than enough to hand a solid lead over to the Twins’ bullpen which locked in for four shutout frames.