The Kansas City Royals are baseball’s hottest team, going 9-1 in their last 10 games to overtake the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central. The Royals took over a seemingly solid first place position that the Tigers held for much of the season.
The Royals will not be the only team to make a run at a division lead as this season progresses. There are a few teams that have the potential to turn it on before the postseason begins.
Detroit Tigers
Yes, the Tigers are slipping away from the Royals in the AL Central. They have lost five of seven games en route to a 1.5-game deficit behind the Royals.
However, with the league’s fourth-ranked offense that includes Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, the Tigers should remain in contention. Add that with the last three Cy Young winners in Max Scherzer, David Price and Justin Verlander, and this team could easily put the pieces together to make a late run at the postseason.
The Tigers will face the Minnesota Twins three times, Chicago White Sox twice and the Tampa Bay Rays once before the season ends. Look for this team to gain some ground on the Royals during that time, if of course, they can combine their offense and pitching.
Detroit has the better team in this race, but the Royals are getting hot at the right time. It’s up to the Tigers to respond.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners ranked second in the league in point differential (+94), yet stand third in arguably the best division in baseball. The Oakland Athletics just happen to be first in that category and first in the AL West.
However, the Mariners have won nine of 10 games en route to taking over the second wild card spot ahead of the Tigers. In these 10 games, the opposing has not scored more than three runs.
This pitching staff, headed by Cy Young-candidate Felix Hernandez, sits first in the league with a 2.94 ERA. That type of number will put a team in contention, but an offensive outburst is needed to get this team on a late run.
The Mariners have scored more than five runs in five out of the last 10 games, leaving many to believe the 20th-ranked offense is trending up. If it does produce, the Mariners could be looking at a Wild Card game appearance, or miraculously, a division title.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have been dealing with injuries to a handful of start players this season, but have managed to stay within two games of the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Trade deadline deals brought John Lackey and Justin Masterson to the team to provide depth down the stretch.
These two pitchers are key for the Cardinals’ staff, which sits 12thin the league in ERA. If Masterson and Lackey can get back to their sub-4.00 ERA pitching from last season and give the Cardinals an extra boost, they will remain in the race.
However, the problem lies at the plate, where the Cardinals have scored just 449 runs on the season, good for 29th overall in the MLB. The return of Yadier Molina from injury and the hot bat of A.J. Pierzynski could give this team the edge it needs to pass the Brewers.