1. Boston Red Sox - (Last Week 4)
As much as it pains me to see this team ahead in the standings especially with Farrell leading the team, they are getting it done on the field. They have the best run differential in the division and they are getting it done in a total team effort. Not being lead by one or two power hitters. They have the most RBIs in the division but the 4th lowest number of home runs. They are also making opponent pitchers work as they rank first in pitches per plate appearance (PPA). On the other side of the diamond, they have received great pitching from their 1 & 2 starters Lester and Bucholz. They are a combined 5-0 in 6 starts and even if you combine their ERA it's still only 1.83 (give me that ERA).
Now they do still have issues as their pitching drops off dramatically after that, but so far it's not prevented them from leading the division.
2. Baltimore Orioles - (Last Week 2)
I was going to put the New York Yankees in the 2 hole but really they belong in the pooh hole. What is keeping Baltimore in the 2 spot are the 2 come from behind victories in Boston this past week off of struggling Red Sox closer Joel Hanrahan-a-ding dong. But other than Boston they are the only other team to not have a losing record against teams that are .500 or better.
Ultimately I just don't see them winning the division. Offensively they are middle of the table, 2nd in average, 3rd in RBIs, 4th in walks, 3rd in Ks. If you want to win the AL East, you can't be mediocre and Chris Davis cannot carry the team alone, ultimately he will slow down and someone else will have to step up. Adam Jones is having another good year average wise and putting up 11 RBIs, but ask the Angles, you need contribution through out the line up to win the division.
In addition their pitching has struggled to get on track aside from their bullpen duo of Jim Johnson (ERA 0.00, 5 saves) and Darren O'Day (ERA 0.00, 3 holds) they can come back in a game but rarely give up late inning come backs. Enjoy it while it lasts Baltimore. After watching the wire, i'm renaming the warehouse in Camden Yards to the vacants.
3. New York Yankees - (Last Week 5)
Yankees sit second in the standings, which is really disappointing, was looking forward to a good season of seeing them in last place. I guess I'll always have Seinfeld DVDs to watch Frank Costanza yell at Steinbrenner for tading Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps. But instead they lead the division in most offense categories (runs, RBI, HR, Avg) and they are doing it with a veteran line up. The reason they are sitting only in 3rd is simply, despite starting the season better than anyone expected, they are only 6-5 and really can't imagine they are going to improve on their offense. This plus their stars don't look any closer to returning to the lineup. In fact Jeter's rehab has gone backwards, taking less batting practice and still suffering from pain when he runs. In addition, ARod is facing some serious off field issues with reports that he tried to purchase documents that linked him to more steroid use including HGH.
On the positive side, they are getting about as much as they could hope out of their top 3 starters, but they will need a better bull pen since Pettitte and Kuroda are north of 38 and the age shows in their in ability to pitch deep into games on a consistent basis. Ultimately it might take a reverse Jay Buhner trade to make the Yankees a legit threat this season.
4. Toronto Blue Jays - (Last Week 3)
Jays drop 1 spot in power rankings this week despite starting to win some games. After taking 2 of 3 against the Royals and getting back to back good starts from Dickey and Morrow they still show struggles on the offensive side. Their win on Saturday came on just 2 hits one a home run by Bautista who then starts the new week being scratched from the lineup for back spasms, this in addition to losing Reyes for what now appears to be 8-weeks instead of the original 12. The good news is Encarnacion is starting to swing his bat better and Lawrie looks to be close to a return has things looking up. Plus this bit of adversity in the beginning of the season might be just what the Jays need to build a championship dressing room. They started the season and can't help but feel like the favorites, now with a bad start and losing their best player, they are learning what it takes to win, and I think this will pay off when they are playing tough, must win games. If you want an in depth analysis of the Jays season start, the post from Saturday has it all, READ IT.
5. Tampa Bay (Last Week 1)
Simply put the stats say it all. 4-7 record, they're 2-6 against opponents who are .500 or better and they are the worst team in terms of runs and average. We always knew they were going to struggle offensively, what we didn't expect was that their defending Cy Young winner would have an ERA 5.82 ERA and yet to earn a win. The positive, Matt Moore and Alex Cobb are off to great starts with a combined 3-1 record and 1.93 ERA, Moore has a 0.00 ERA and he's a starter, he is in fact playing isn't he? Tampa is very cautious with their young pitchers and very concious of developing their arms, so pitch count will impact them this team will need to get better quality pitching from the rest of their starters, they simply can't rely on a rookie and sophmore to take on the whole work load.
Tampa and Toronto seem to have similar issues, pitching hasn't been what they expect and offensive struggles are keeping them at the bottom of the AL East in the stat that means the most, wins. If the Jays and the Rays were tied in the standings I would still put them at the bottom, if for nothing more than their shitty stadium.
Picture of Week: Miam Marlins stadium where they are kicking fans out for protesting.
Highlight of the Week: Yankees turning a Triple Play on a ball that doesn't even leave the infield.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=26240819&topic_id=9674738&c_id=mlb
Jays Highlight of the Week: Arencibia's 3-run double to complete a 5 run comeback against the Tigers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCbI0TbwFus&noredirect=1
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