AL Central
Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | RD | L10 | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Guardians | 21 | 21 | .500 | - | -4 | 5-5 | L2 |
| 2 | Chicago White Sox | 19 | 21 | .475 | 1.0 | -14 | 6-4 | W2 |
| 3 | Kansas City Royals | 19 | 21 | .475 | 1.0 | -11 | 7-3 | W2 |
| 4 | Detroit Tigers | 18 | 22 | .450 | 2.0 | +1 | 3-7 | L5 |
| 5 | Minnesota Twins | 18 | 23 | .439 | 2.5 | -12 | 5-5 | W2 |
| # | Team | W* | L* | ±W | Δ Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Guardians | 21 | 21 | 0 | — |
| 2 | Chicago White Sox | 19 | 21 | 0 | — |
| 3 | Kansas City Royals | 19 | 21 | 0 | — |
| 4 | Detroit Tigers | 18 | 22 | 0 | — |
| 5 | Minnesota Twins | 18 | 23 | 0 | — |
Optimal projects each team's remaining games as if every lineup was optimizer-recommended (snapshot, not full season replay). See methodology below.
Manager grades across the division
All managers →| Team | Manager | Lineup | Bunts | IBBs | Pitching | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guardians | — | 1.50 R B- | 0.75 R B | 0.55 R B | 48.66 R F | 51.46 R C |
| Twins | — | 0.84 R A | 0.67 R B | 0.79 R B | 70.48 R F | 72.77 R B- |
| White Sox | — | 3.28 R F | 2.63 R C | 1.11 R B | 75.05 R F | 82.07 R D- |
| Tigers | — | 2.79 R D+ | 0.20 R A | 0.11 R A | 82.63 R F | 85.73 R C- |
| Royals | — | 1.95 R C+ | 1.06 R B | 0.80 R B | 82.57 R F | 86.38 R C |
Cost = expected runs lost from sub-optimal decisions across the season. Lower is better. Grades follow the same scale used on individual manager pages.
Run differential
Recent form
RunsLeft insights · AL Central
Detroit Tigers are the only AL Cent team with positive run differential
Detroit Tigers sit at +1 run differential — the only AL Cent club above water. Division mates average -10.3.
Team page →Venable now at 7R lost to lineup decisions
Will Venable (CWS) has cost 7 runs across lineup, bunt, and IBB decisions this season — past the 5R watermark. Lineup decisions account for 3.3R, the largest single category.
Manager detail →KC bullpen last 7 games: Alex Lange led usage; Daniel Lynch IV had better ERA
Kansas City Royals bullpen usage, last 7 games — Alex Lange 4 apps/69p (ERA 5.79), Nick Mears 4 apps/50p (ERA 3.07), John Schreiber 3 apps/63p (ERA 3.38). Most-used arm: Alex Lange (4 apps, ERA 5.79). Lowest ERA among less-used arms: Danie…
Team page →MIN bullpen last 7 games: Anthony Banda led usage; Kendry Rojas had better ERA
Minnesota Twins bullpen usage, last 7 games — Anthony Banda 4 apps/80p (ERA 7.64), Luis García 4 apps/60p (ERA 10.50), Eric Orze 3 apps/47p (ERA 4.26). Most-used arm: Anthony Banda (4 apps, ERA 7.64). Lowest ERA among less-used arms: Kendr…
Team page →Venable has cost 7R — worst in MLB
No manager in MLB has cost their team more in 2026 than Will Venable (CWS), at 7 runs. The league-best comparison: Craig Stammen (SD) at 1.5R.
Manager detail →Hinch has used 30 different lineups in 30 games
A.J. Hinch (DET) has run 30 distinct starting lineups across 30 games this season — that's 100% turnover game-to-game. Most managers stay below 14 for the same span.
Manager detail →Keep reading
Methodology
Counterfactual standings project each team's remaining
games as if every lineup card had been the optimizer's recommendation.
The math is a snapshot: winsFlip = round(seasonLineupCost / 10),
added to the current win column and subtracted from the loss column.
Manager grades come from the same per-game decision audit used on /managers. Insights are emitted by templates under /methodology and refreshed hourly or nightly depending on the template tier.