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The AL Central race had been feeling like a foregone conclusion. The Cleveland Indians took hold of first place in early June and held a lead of at least five games every day between June 25 and July 26.

But now here to crash the proverbial party are the Detroit Tigers.

Faster than anyone could say “Maybe Detroit should sell at the trade deadline,” the Tigers have gotten hot. They swept back-to-back series against the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros, and made it seven wins in a row with an 11-5 trouncing of the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.

Mark it eight, dude.

It was a battle, but the Tigers won again Wednesday night thanks to a friend they hadn’t seen in a while. On the first pitch in his first at-bat off the disabled list, J.D. Martinez cranked a long home run off Chris Sale to propel the Tigers to a 2-1 victory. Look upon it now with delight and wonder:

“That was almost like a movie tonight,” Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler told George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press. “That was special. That was something I probably never seen before.”

Coupled with Cleveland’s 13-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins, the Tigers are now only two games back in the AL Central. FanGraphs’ calculations still give the Indians a 71.2 percent chance of winning the division, but the conclusion is certainly no longer foregone. 

Such a thing is easy to say when you have a team that’s won eight in a row on one hand and a team that’s lost seven out of 11 on the other. But while the Indians are obviously good, they missed out on a huge missing piece at the trade deadline. The Tigers, meanwhile, are a team that’s never really been bad that appears to be coming together at the perfect time.

One thing the Tigers have had little trouble doing is hitting the ball. They entered Wednesday ranked in the top five in the American League in runs and OPS, and have been consistent on a month-to-month basis.

This is despite the fact they’ve just gone almost two months without Martinez in the lineup. With an .878 OPS and 12 home runs in 65 games before he broke his elbow in mid-June and an .890 OPS and 73 home runs since 2014, the hole he left was not a small one.

Having Martinez back for the stretch run could give the Tigers a stronger heart of the order than they had even when he was healthy. After a modest (by his standards) first half, Miguel Cabrera is back to doing Miguel Cabrera things in the second half. Justin Upton has finally come alive. Victor Martinez has been slumping, but his overall season is more than strong enough to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Having a core like that should ensure Detroit’s offense won’t get any worse in the final two months than it’s been all season. The Tigers would only need their pitching to show up, and it’s way ahead of schedule.

Among American League clubs, only the Tampa Bay Rays have come out of the All-Star break with a better ERA than the Tigers. Justin Verlander has been the prime catalyst behind that, claiming AL Pitcher of the Month for July with a 1.69 ERA in six starts.

“It just felt like I had a good month with good feel, just took the ball every time I was called upon and went out there and tried to keep our guys in the game,” Verlander told Jason Beck of MLB.com. “You look back at the body of work this month and yeah, it was pretty good.”

Verlander’s peaks and valleys over the last couple of seasons almost make it hard to believe he can continue this. The one thing he has now that he hasn’t had in a while, however, is velocity. As Brooks Baseball shows, his fastball is sitting around 95 miles per hour for the first time since 2014.

Michael Fulmer has also done his part. His 6.2 innings of one-run ball Wednesday night lowered his ERA to 2.42. That puts him in line to win AL Rookie of the Year, and it sounds like he’s going to get the chance to seal the deal. Per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, there’s no plan to shut the young right-hander down.

Rejoining Verlander and Fulmer in Detroit’s rotation Thursday will be Jordan Zimmermann. The veteran missed all of July with a bad neck. If he gets back to what he was doing earlier in the year, the front three in Detroit’s rotation will be able to take all comers.

That just leaves the Tigers’ eternally problematic bullpen. But as Matt Snyder noted at CBSSports.com, it was having a strong second half before hitting a rough patch Tuesday. It may be prepared to handle the task of not getting in the rest of the team’s way down the stretch.

This is not to say catching the Tribe will be easy. They’re still a really good team, and maybe the only team in the American League with enough pitching depth to overcome the absence of a Danny Salazar. The Tigers also won’t get a chance to make up ground directly until September, when seven of their last 16 games are against Cleveland. And despite their current hotness, their 1-11 record against the Indians doesn’t bode well.

The race, however, is most definitely on.

It took some time, but the Tigers are hitting their peak. With the Indians having possibly hit their own peak already, the state of things in the AL Central may be permanently stuck on “interesting” the rest of the way.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy set a franchise single-game record with his 16 strikeouts in Monday’s 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, besting the old record of 15 that Zack Greinke established in 2009, per Sportsnet Stats.

The 27-year-old southpaw turned in one of the truly dominant outings of the 2016 campaign, allowing just one hit and one walk over eight scoreless innings. He only fell short of a complete game because all the strikeouts brought his pitch count up to 110 entering the ninth.

Royals relief pitcher Kelvin Herrera calmly finished off the game with a three-up, three-down inning, boosting Duffy’s record to a sterling 7-1 for the season.

Nearly as impressive as his strikeout total, Duffy induced a whopping 35 missed swings, tying Clayton Kershaw for the most by any pitcher in a single game over the last 15 years, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The Rays made contact on just 25 of their 60 swings against Duffy, with the miss percentage (58.3) setting a standalone record for any starting pitcher over the past 15 years.

The lefty also came close to a no-hitter, making it through seven frames before Rays outfielder Desmond Jennings led off the eighth inning with a double.

While impressive in its own right, Monday’s performance was also part of a larger trend, as Duffy has been phenomenal since he joined the starting rotation in May, posting a 2.98 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in his 15 starts, with 105 strikeouts (and just 18 walks) over 90.2 innings.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler turned in a historic performance during Monday’s 12-5 win over the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first rookie in franchise history to hit three home runs in a single game, per Sportsnet Stats.

The 23-year-old slugger connected for a trio of two-run home runs, coming in the first, third and sixth innings, which gave him a shot at the first four-homer game in franchise history.

Alas, Kepler grounded out and singled in his final two at-bats, finishing the night with four hits, six RBI and three runs.

He’s one of just five players to hit three home runs in a game since the franchise moved to Minnesota in 1961, joining Justin Morneau (2007), Tony Oliva (1973), Harmon Killebrew (1963) and Bob Allison (1963), per ESPN Stats & Info.

What’s more, Monday’s performance didn’t just come out of nowhere, as Kepler now has an MLB-best 11 home runs since the beginning of July, per MLB Stat of the Day.

While any hope for 2016 was lost back in April, the Twins do have some promising middle-of-the-order hitters to help move the rebuilding process along, with Kepler joined by veteran second baseman Brian Dozier and 23-year-old outfielder Miguel Sano.

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The Cleveland Indians announced Monday that they acquired outfielder Brandon Guyer from the Tampa Bay Rays for prospects with just a little over an hour remaining in Major League Baseball’s trade deadline. 

In 63 games this season, Guyer is batting .241 with seven home runs and 18 RBI. 

His acquisition gives the Indians a better depth option in the outfield behind Jose Ramirez, Rajai Davis and Lonnie Chisenhall. Tyler Naquin has been a stellar fourth option, batting .335 in 70 games this season.

But behind him, an early-season injury to Michael Brantley, the struggles of Collin Cowgill that saw him get demoted to the minors and the 162-game suspension of Marlon Byrd on June 1 forced the Indians to rely on a mediocre Abraham Almonte and an inexperienced Erik Gonzalez. 

In a combined 24 games this season, those two have put together a .250 average with one home run and three RBI. 

While Guyer’s numbers don’t suggest much at first glance, his bat could be a big difference-maker when used in the right situations. 

Against left-handed pitchers this season, he’s hitting .344 with a .488 on-base percentage and a 1.082 OPS, which could help improve Cleveland’s already solid .271 batting average against lefties.

On top of that, he’s been hit by a league-leading 23 pitches, as he finds ways to get on base. He spoke about it with FanGraphs’ David Laurila: “I’m just trying to get on for the big boppers behind me. I’ll take one for the team any day.”

For an Indians team that entered Monday with a 60-42 record and a 4.5-game lead over the Detroit Tigers for first place in the American League Central, Guyer’s acquisition is the kind of depth move that could round out the roster as Cleveland prepares for a postseason run. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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After more than half a century of nothing, the city of Cleveland is nearing a realistic chance of getting two championships in less than a year.

The Cavaliers got it done by winning the NBA Finals, and now the Indians mean business with their pursuit of their first World Series title since 1948. They already have a team good enough for the American League‘s top record, and now it’s circling a catcher who can actually do things.

As Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports was first to report Saturday night, the Indians have an agreement in place to acquire two-time All-Star Jonathan Lucroy from the Milwaukee Brewers. It seems the only thing the deal needs to become official is Lucroy’s willingness to waive his no-trade clause.

Although Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports notes Lucroy has “no apparent reason” not to want to switch sides from a 46-56 Brewers team to a 59-42 Indians team, he does have a leverage play to make. He’s earning $4 million this season with a $5.25 million club option for 2017. He may need the Indians to sweeten the deal for him to say yes.

If the Indians do that, they’ll be out some money in addition to some pretty good prospects. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports young catcher Francisco Mejia is in the deal; according to Rosenthal, so are shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang and outfielder Greg Allen.

Chang and Allen both check in among Cleveland’s top 30 prospects at MLB.com. Mejia, meanwhile, looks like a rising star. He landed at No. 70 on Baseball America‘s most recent top 100, and that may underrate him. The 20-year-old is a switch-hitter who’s currently riding a 42-game hit streak that’s pushed his batting average in 77 games at Single-A and High-A to .344.

But on the bright side, here’s a list of prospects the Indians apparently aren’t giving up, complete with their Baseball America rank:

• OF Clint Frazier (21)
• OF Bradley Zimmer (26)
• LHP Brady Aiken (59)
• 1B Bobby Bradley (64)
• LHP Justus Sheffield (69)

The Indians may not be about to rob the Brewers blind, but they’re not going to get looted, either. They would be keeping arguably all their best prospects and getting a guy who can help in return.

Actually, sorry. That should read “can really help.”

The Indians haven’t been hurting for offense this season, entering Saturday ranked sixth in the AL in OPS and fourth in runs. But their offensive attack has come to a screeching stop whenever the catcher is up. They began Saturday getting a .504 OPS from their catchers, the worst in baseball. 

To this end, trading for Lucroy is like a man on a deserted island being rescued by a luxury cruise ship. The 30-year-old is hitting an even .300 with an .844 OPS and 13 home runs, which is in line with what he was doing at the plate the prior three years.

In between the good hitting was a down year in 2015. Lucroy battled injuries and hit just .264 with a .717 OPS in 103 games, leading to some skepticism about whether he could bounce back. But everything looks good now. He’s been healthy all year and has gotten back to driving the ball. His ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio has fallen from 1.52 to 1.05, and his hard-hit rate is at a career-best 36.7 percent.

Assuming Lucroy carries this performance over to Cleveland, he would do more than just fill the black hole the Tribe’s lineup has at catcher. His right-handed bat would also help balance out a unit that, Mike Napoli aside, is short on quality right-handed hitting.

Of course, Lucroy could also help the Indians on the other side of the ball.

The other quality he’s known for is his ability to frame strikes. Harry Pavlidis of Baseball Prospectus and Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs have highlighted how Lucroy has been slipping away from his reputation in that department, but he hasn’t yet become bad at it. Baseball Prospectus’ metrics put his framing right around average. StatCorner’s put it safely above average.

Cleveland pitchers haven’t been living with terrible framing in 2016, but it could be better. StatCorner’s metrics claim Chris Gimenez has been good, but Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez have not. And overall, the three haven’t stolen many strikes for their pitchers. According to Baseball Savant, only the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A’s have gotten fewer strike calls outside the zone than the Indians have.

If Lucroy were joining another pitching staff, this wouldn’t be something for other AL clubs to fret over. But this pitching staff? Different story.

With former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer leading the way, Cleveland starters are already first in the AL with a 3.68 ERA. Though Cleveland’s bullpen would look better with another shutdown arm to pair with Cody Allen and Dan Otero, it’s hardly a liability. Its 3.58 ERA is fifth in the AL.

All told, it’s hard to think of the Indians’ trading for another player who could have as profound an impact on their title chances as Lucroy.

And make no mistake: those title chances are already very good. The Indians’ AL-best record is backed up by the AL’s highest run differential. If you look at the current World Series odds at Baseball Prospectus, the American League favorites line up like so:

1. Cleveland Indians: 17.9%
2. Toronto Blue Jays: 8.3%
3. Boston Red Sox: 8.1%

Assuming the trade goes through, odds are Cleveland’s already high number will go even higher. Any team that can hit and pitch as well as the Indians can is a good bet to go far in October. If he were indeed to improve both areas, it’ll be an even better bet.

The city of Cleveland should wait on scheduling the parade, of course. At least until Lucroy actually approves the trade and it goes through. But for now, there’s nothing wrong if anyone in Cleveland wants to start trying out the phrase “Title Town.”

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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Kansas City Royals closer Wade Davis is still recovering from a right forearm strain he suffered in early July. He has been placed on the disabled list, and it is uncertain when he will be able to return.

Continue for updates.

Davis Placed on 15-Day DL

Sunday, July 31

The Royals announced Davis had been placed on the disabled list on Sunday, adding that pitcher Matt Strahm will be called up in his place.

Davis Continues to Struggle with Elbow Issues

Davis was forced to hit the 15-day disabled list after initially straining his forearm, which held him out for more than two weeks. 

He looked fine after returning July 16, as he didn’t allow a run and gave up just two hits in four appearances while picking up two saves. 

But on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels, Davis allowed two runs on two hits and three walks, though he closed out a 7-5 win.

Davis has been one of the premier relievers-turned-closers over the past three years, as he’s allowed just 22 runs since the start of the 2014 season.

His ability to close out the opposition late in games is what helped the Royals make two consecutive World Series appearances, including a win over the New York Mets in 2015 where he fired the final pitch:

Despite his dominance, his name recently cropped up in trade talks with the MLB non-waiver trade deadline coming up on Monday, per Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. 

A trip to the disabled list with a day to go until the deadline should eliminate any chance of a trade. 

However, the Royals find themselves without another key bullpen arm, as reliever Luke Hochevar recently went on the 15-day DL due to symptoms associated with thoracic outlet syndrome. 

They’ll now have to rely on Kelvin Herrera to carry the bullpen in Davis’ absence. With the Royals entering Saturday night 10 games out of first place in the American League Central, their chances of a postseason berth could worsen if Davis has to miss an extended period. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler recently hit his eighth home run during the month of July, making this the first month in MLB history in which three rookies recorded eight or more homers, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com).

The 23-year-old lefty slugger did the honors during Thursday’s 6-2 home win over the Baltimore Orioles, smacking a solo shot to right field in the sixth inning off of Orioles reliever Odrisamer Despaigne to tie the contest at two apiece.

Kepler then played a role in a four-run rally the very next inning, with his RBI single bringing home Twins first baseman Joe Mauer to extend the lead to 4-2.

Kepler would later come around to score on a triple by outfielder Eddie Rosario, extending Minnesota’s advantage to 6-2, which ended up being the final score.

The other rookies with eight or more homers in July are San Diego Padres second baseman Ryan Schimpf (nine) and Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story (eight), the latter of whom leads the National League with 27 home runs this season.

While Story’s magnificent campaign has him in pole position for Rookie of the Year honors in the National league, Kepler will have a tough time earning AL honors, as he has only been a regular starter for the Twins since the beginning of June.

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Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Luke Hochevar is headed to the 15-day disabled list after showing signs of thoracic outlet syndrome, according to Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star on Thursday.

Continue for updates.

Injury Could Shed Light on Hochevar’s Struggles

Thursday, July 28

As Kansas City’s seventh-inning man ahead of Kelvin Herrera and closer Wade Davis in the bullpen, Hochevar had a 2.90 ERA heading into the month of July.

But in 6.1 innings over seven July outings, Hochevar has allowed six earned runs, the most he’s allowed in a month all season.

It’s ballooned his ERA to 3.86, which is on pace for his worst mark since 2012.

Thursday’s news could provide an explanation as to why he’s struggled, though. New York Mets ace Matt Harvey recently underwent season-ending surgery July 18 because of thoracic outlet syndrome. 

NJ.com’s Maria Guardado explained what a player experiences while suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome: “TOS…is caused by the compression of nerves near the neck and shoulder and can result in tingling in the arm or hand.”

That makes it difficult to comfortably grip and throw a baseball.

While Harvey needed to have a rib removed “to relieve some of the pressure off an entrapped nerve,” per Guardado, it is unclear at the moment what kind of recovery options Hochevar has been presented with. 

With Hochevar shelved, the Royals announced they recalled pitcher Brooks Pounders from Triple-A. The 25-year-old has appeared in three games this season, pitching just four innings. But in that span, he allowed six runs, including two home runs, resulting in a 13.50 ERA.

Numbers like that won’t help the defending champions as they struggle to make a playoff push, so expect veterans Joakim Soria and Chien-Ming Wang to see an increase in their usage as the team attempts to fill the void.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Dominant Kansas City Royals closer Wade Davis is reportedly generating interest ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline as the team is forced to make a tough decision about whether to buy or sell.

Continue for updates.

Nationals Reportedly Have Interest in Davis

Friday, July 29

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that the Washington Nationals are talking to Kansas City regarding Davis’ availability.

Dodgers Emerge As Potential Davis Landing Spot

Thursday, July 28

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported Wednesday that the Los Angeles Dodgers are one team interested in potentially acquiring Davis. He also noted that the reliever would prefer to remain in Kansas City with “all things being equal,” though.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, citing sources, reported that the Royals “are trying to package Ian Kennedy” in a potential Davis trade. Passan noted that the Dodgers are a “strong match” and that the team wants Davis and can take on Kennedy’s salary.

Davis Would Be Outstanding Bullpen Option for Contending Team

Davis is enjoying another outstanding season at the back end of the Royals bullpen. He’s posted a 1.60 ERA and 1.10 WHIP while striking out 32 batters in 33.2 innings. And amazingly, those are his worst numbers since 2013, which showcases how terrific he’s been since moving to the pen full time.

The Royals’ struggles could make him expendable over the next few days, though. They own a 49-51 record at the 100-game mark. That leaves them 8.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central and 6.5 games behind the final wild-card spot.

Typically, that type of deficit combined with a 7-15 record in July would lead a team to sell. The decision is a bit more complicated for Kansas City because it’s more difficult for the reigning World Series champions to give up on a title defense before the trade deadline.

On Monday, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star passed along comments from Royals general manager Dayton Moore, who’s not taking anything off the table.

“I wouldn’t categorize any player as untouchable—never have,” Moore said. “We’ll always evaluate somebody’s level of interest and what their level of interest may mean to the improvement of our team, in terms of players that they would be willing to part with. That’s what you do.”

If Kansas City ultimately decides to move some key pieces, Davis figures to become a top asset and should demand more return now than he would in the offseason or at next year’s deadline. That’s because he’s under team control for another year, per Spotrac, eliminating the risk of a rental acquisition.

The Dodgers represent a unique fit because they already lead MLB in bullpen ERA at 2.97, according to ESPN.com. They are looking to bolster that aspect of the team further thanks to concerns about the starting staff, highlighted by Clayton Kershaw’s back injury.

All told, the Royals haven’t fully committed to selling quite yet, and it sounds like Davis wants to stay with the organization, if possible. But if the decision is made to start looking toward the future, the Dodgers figure to face plenty of competition for the high-end closer on the trade market.

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Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale has dominated MLB headlines in the dog days of summer, both as a potential trade target and someone who reportedly cut up his team’s throwback uniforms instead of wearing one when he was scheduled to pitch Saturday.

Tommy Stokke of FanRag Sports broke the news that Sale “cut the jerseys up so no one could wear them,” and the White Sox announced a five-day suspension for the pitcher Sunday.

Sale made his first public comments about the incident Monday, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com:

When I saw that there was something in the way of that 100 percent winning mentality, I had an issue. I tried to bring it up and say, ‘Hey listen, these are my thoughts and concerns,’ and they got pushed away because of the business deal that was set in place. I’ll never understand why we need to do something on the business side on the field that might impede us winning a game.

[The ’76 uniforms] are uncomfortable and unorthodox. I didn’t want to go out there and not be at the top of my game in every aspect that I need to be in. Not only that, but I didn’t want anything to alter my mechanics. … There’s a lot of different things that went into it. Looking bad had absolutely zero to do with it. Nothing.

Merkin noted Sale was told about the decision to wear the 1976 throwbacks the day before his scheduled start against the Detroit Tigers. Sale reportedly told the clubhouse manager and pitching coach Don Cooper he would rather wear the 1983 jerseys, and he discussed the issue again with Cooper and manager Robin Ventura on Saturday.

Sale then reportedly cut up the jerseys when “he did not get the answer he wanted,” per Merkin. The left-hander issued perhaps his most telling quote Monday when discussing his manager, suggesting Ventura did not seem to have his back, per Merkin:

Robin is the one who has to fight for us in that department. If the players don’t feel comfortable 100 percent about what we are doing to win the game, and we have an easy fix — it was as easy as hanging up another jersey and everyone was fine. For them to put business first over winning, that’s when I lost it.

It’s understandable for a player to put winning over the business side of baseball, even if the throwbacks are fan favorites and may encourage more people to come to the ballpark or watch a game.

But Sale has had a few issues with management this season. In spring training, he said executive vice president Ken Williams lied to him and his teammates following Adam LaRoche’s retirement, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. LaRoche elected to retire after Williams told him he had to reduce his son’s time in the clubhouse.

Sale’s relationship with the front office may come into play again before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline if the team deals him with an eye toward the future.

On Saturday, Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported it may take up to “five top prospects” to lure Sale from the 49-50 White Sox.

“I don’t think I would be traded,” Sale said, per Merkin. “I don’t know for sure. I don’t know what they are thinking now or what’s going on.”

Sale didn’t sound like someone who wanted to be shipped out of the Windy City, either: “I want to win a championship in Chicago. That’s been my goal from Day 1. It has never changed. I only get more passionate about it because I know that it’s not easy winning a championship.”

If the White Sox were to fulfill that desire and win a World Series, Sale would likely be a major part of it. The southpaw is a five-time All-Star and has finished in the top six in American League Cy Young Award balloting in four consecutive seasons.

He is also only 27 years old and sports a 14-3 record, 3.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 129 strikeouts in 133 innings this season. While his dominance on the mound has taken a back seat in terms of storylines, he should have a chance to get back to his winning ways for Chicago when his suspension ends later this week.

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