Standings: The Orioles and Yankees lead the division for now, but Baltimore has benefited from a favorable schedule (three home series already), while Boston survived a tough stretch on the road at .500, looking to challenge for the division lead at Fenway. Tampa Bay started out the season 5-3 and in first place, but they've dropped four straight on the road. The Blue Jays were the only team to lose a series at home, allowing the Red Sox to steal two out of three in Toronto.
Curiously, Baltimore is the only team to have a positive run differential through twelve games. The Orioles bullpen has been their key to success, supplemented by power hitting. They've allowed the few runs as well. Boston has been struggling mightily on offense, leaving a lot of runners stranded on base. They'll need better production with RISP or they could flounder around .500 all year, despite their fantastic pitching staff. Toronto has currently scored the most runs, but has surrendered nine more runs than anyone else, damaged especially by their #2 starter Romero, who seems to get lit up far too easily.
The schedule was round-robin within the division and their next 12 games will be another cycle through the division, presumably leading to more separation between these clubs.
TEAM STATS
Baltimore (7-5, first place)
Runs scored: 51 (4.25 per game)
Runs allowed: (3 per game)
Hitting: The Orioles have done a fantastic job clobbering the ball, smashing 20 homers in 12 games (an outstanding 1.67 per game). While Ian Kinsler has been disappointing in the second position, 3B Cal Ripken Jr has been a great surprise, hitting over .300 and pacing this powerful team with 4 HRs. Carl Everett has been outstanding in the clean-up position, leading the way with 11 RBIs. Barry Larkin's 8 stolen bases have been nice added dimension of speed. If Adam Jones, Kinsler, and Trinidad Hubbard can get hot, this offense has the ability to keep scoring a lot of runs and maybe even lead the MLB in homers.
Pitching: Baltimore has been the best staff in the division, anchored by ace Vance Worley, who leads all AL East with a 1.29 ERA. Mike Mussina is 0-3, but he's been eating up innings and his ERA is below the team's runs scored average, a good barometer of some victories coming his way soon. Jason Hammel has struggled, but done just enough to put the game in the hands of the bullpen, a good recipe for success in Baltimore. The Orioles' pen is 4-2 on the season, with Troy Patton and Darren O'Day pitching lights out. Jim Johnson has blown two saves, but started to settle down late, a good sign for this team. Medlen has been a great addition as well, and if he can get his HR allowed numbers down, could put himself in the Cy Young discussion.
Boston (6-6, third place, one game back)
Runs scored: 35 (2.92 per game)
Runs allowed: 38 (3.17 per game)
Hitting: The Red Sox have really struggled to put runners across home plate, scoring a measly 35 times despite reaching base 141 times (24.8% scoring rate). Players like Youkilis, who leads the division with 10 doubles, need to be driven in by the struggling Mike Stanley and Marco Scutaro. Saltalamacchia is the worst hitter in the division, but that was to be expected with his putrid On-Base 5. Manny Ramirez had a slow start, but with a homer in each of his last two series, he is starting to find his groove, perhaps injecting some more pop into this team. They need some power, with only 8 HRs thus far. Dustin Pedroia has been a star though, the perfect lead-off man with an average over .300 and OBP near .400. If they can capitalize on his top-of-the-order production, the Red Sox could see a spike in hitting.
Pitching: Boston's 3.17 ERA is the second best in the division, with their top three starters maintaining an ERA of 3 or lower. Unfortunately, the lack of run support has yet to translate that into wins, but Pedro and Josh are both doing a great job, with 2.42 and 2.14 ERAs. At 26 IP, Pedro has been a horse too, allowing the bullpen to stay fresh, which has translated into their low ERAs. That includes Derek Lowe, who has 3 saves and is yet to surrender a run. If Lester can bounce back from two rough outings, the Red Sox will end up leading the East in ERA.
New York (7-5, first place)
Runs Scored: 51 (4.25 per game)
Runs Allowed: 52 (4.33 per game)
Hitting: The Yankees are led by the division's brightest star through 12 games, Robinson Cano. Cano has been phenomenal, leading the East in every major category and delivering clutch hits consistently. His power is bound to tapper off (19-20 HR), but his doubles should rise, presumably keeping his RBI totals at a similar pace. Jeter and Granderson have looked good too, Curtis catching fire recently, belting two HRs in their quarter-ending sweep against Tampa Bay. However, key contributors Bernie Williams, Posada, and A-Rod have all struggled mightily, as has Tino Martinez. If those guys can start hitting with any sort of consistency, the Yankees will easily surpass their current RSPG and start living up to their reputation as a hitting power.
Pitching: The Yankees need CC Sabathia to pull it together. Sabathia has been rocked by Boston and Toronto this year, inflating his ERA and giving him his 0-2 record. He needs to pitch like he did vs Baltimore, when he went 8 shut-out innings (ended in a ND). His slack has thus far been managed by Kuroda and Nova, who've combined to go 4-1 with a 1.58 ERA in 6 starts. Mariano Rivera has struggled a little as the closer, but he's rattled off a few saves now and RP Derek Lowe has been lights out as a set-up man. Once Sabathia inevitably regains his form, New York should bring their team ERA down below 4.
Tampa Bay (5-7, fourth place, two game back)
Runs Scored: 51 (4.25 per game)
Runs Allowed: 53 (4.42 per game)
Hitting: The Rays have been scoring at the same rate as Baltimore and New York, a good sign for their future. Expect Crawford to get much more playing time over Greg Vaughn, as Tampa experimented with Vaughn's raw power in the early going. His presence at the top of the lineup should only help Glanville and over-looked superstar Ben Zobrist. Juan Gonzalez and Evan Longoria need to start flashing more power though, as both have hit only a homer a piece in 12 games. Fred McGriff also needs to get on-base more, as he's just over .300 OBP. If the Rays can get any production from Kevin Stocker or Jeff Keppinger, they'd be thrilled, because right now both of them look like garbage.
Pitching: David Price has looked exceptional in the first spot, but Shields and Helleckson have taken a step back in recent starts, causing the team ERA to rise from 3.87 to 4.42. Guzman has been one of the best #4 starters in the East, definitely deserving more than his 40 points. The bullpen has been uncharacteristically shaky, especially Wade Davis. Davis has been absolutely shelled twice, leading to a mind-boggling 19.80 ERA. Rodney and McGee are underperforming as well, though not at that extreme. This vaunted preseason bullpen is a combined 1-3 with a 8.20 ERA. They must improve if the Rays are going to contend seriously as the season progresses.
Toronto (5-7, fourth place, two game back)
Runs Scored: 53 (4.42 per game)
Runs Allowed: 62 (5.17 per game)
Hitting: The Blue Jays lead the AL East in runs per game, getting production from nearly every player. The key has been the bottom half of the order, with players like Carlos Delgado (leading team in RBI), Yunel Escobar (batting .348, tied for 2nd with 8 RBI), and Chris Woodward (.277) exceeding expectations. Obviously, middle of the order studs like Encarnacion and Green help too (both hitting over .340, combined 7 HRs). Cruz Jr was hitting over .300 in the first six games and after struggling his last six, has fallen way off. If he can start getting on base more and hit over by Tony Fernandez, who continues to get out off his own chart, the Blue Jays could continue pacing the division in runs, perhaps reaching the 5 runs per game plateau.
Pitching: Toronto has been the worst staff in the division, allowing an absurdly disgusting 5.17 runs a game. The bullpen has been lousy, going 0-4 with a combined ERA of 7.71. The only thing worse has been Ricky Romero, who has an 8.61 ERA through 3 starts (0-3). However, there is hope from Halladay, Morrow, and Wells, who've combined to go 5-0. Their spotless record drives home the bullpen's woes, as Toronto has won each game that those starters earned a decision for and lost whenever the game rested in the bullpen's hands. If Shawn Camp and Luis Perez can pull it together, and Ricky Romero can start pitching like a tier 2 starter being paid 510 points, Toronto will balance out and keep themselves in the playoff hunt.
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