Cam Schlittler has a tiny but meaningful cushion in the American League Cy Young race, and the Yankees can at least hang their hat on that as the season enters its final stretch.
According to Bradford Doolittle of ESPN, Schlittler is still sitting just ahead of Dylan Cease in what has turned into a dead heat for the award. Doolittle described the gap as "razor-thin," and the numbers back that up.
Schlittler’s AXE total is 145.3, while Cease is right on his heels at 145.1. That sliver is enough to keep Schlittler in front for now, but not by much. Parker Messick and Drew Rasmussen are in the mix too, though it would likely take a major stumble from both Schlittler and Cease, plus a big finish from someone else, to shake up the top of the race.
For the moment, it feels like a two-man battle that could easily last all the way to the last start of the regular season.
Schlittler has posted an 11-6 record with a 2.16 ERA and 193 strikeouts over 158 innings. Cease, who pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays, has gone 8-5 with a 2.37 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 144.1 innings.
That’s how tight this thing is: Schlittler has the edge in ERA and innings, while Cease has the advantage in strikeouts. The margin is so slim that one rough outing could flip the order in a hurry.
For now, though, the Yankees right-hander is the one standing at the front of the line. And with about 30 games left in the regular season, the AL Cy Young race looks set to stay on a knife’s edge.
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