(670 The Score) The AL Central race is wide open early this season, with no team appearing poised to run away with the division crown.
The Twins (24-20) are the lone team in the AL Central above the .500 mark entering play Thursday. The Tigers (19-22) and Guardians (19-23) are within striking distance, while the White Sox (16-28) and Royals (14-31) are off to tough starts and chasing from the back of the pack.
While the AL Central has been the weakest division in MLB early on, Guardians manager Terry Francona believes the competitive level will pick up soon enough. He doesn't think the division will produce a winner that finishes below .500.
“You look at the (AL) East and every team is over .500, and right now Minnesota is the only team (above .500),” Francona said. “But as the season progresses, the team or teams that find your footing, however you want to say it, and you start to win. It happens every year. I don’t see that happening.
“I certainly know what our record is, because that’s what we’re here to do, is to win. But even when it doesn’t look like it’s going to measure up or reach, our job is to find a way to make it reach. I don’t get too caught up in where we’ve been. I look behind long enough to try to learn and then move on quickly. Because if you don’t, this game can beat you up too much.”
The best division in MLB has been the AL East, where the Red Sox are in last place at 24-20. That mark would tie for the top spot in the AL Central.
Francona's Guardians are in town playing the White Sox this week. The Guardians dropped the first two games of the series, and the White Sox will look for the sweep Thursday afternoon.
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