American League Week 1 Review
Many Surprises Early On In The Junior Circuit
In the American League some teams have gotten off to suprisingly good starts, while others have disappointed to this point.
American League East
The AL east is topsy-turvy so far this year. The two teams expected to be at the bottom, the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, are at the top. Meanwhile, the powerhouse New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Boston Red Sox are at the bottom.
The Toronto Blue Jays are in first place with a record of 5-2. Their offense, led by Lind, Scutaro, Wells, and Rios, leads the league in runs scored. They have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Roy Halladay. The question for them is whether the rest of the pitching staff can keep them in contention.
The Baltimore Orioles have gotten off to an impressive 4-2 start against the Yankees and Rays. They have hit well and pitched well for the most part. They have done this at home, though, and it remains to be seen whether they can duplicate that kind of success on the road.
The New York Yankees have been inconsistent, getting off to a 3-3 start. Their offense has looked good even without Alex Rodriguez. Their pitching has been up and down. Their biggest question is whether the middle relief can get the ball from the starter to Rivera. They blew a lead in the eigth yesterday and Yankee fans are already calling for Joba to go back to the bullpen.
The Tampa Bay Rays have gotten off to a mediocre 3-3 start. Their starting rotation, expected to be the strength of the team, has been inconsistent. The offense has also been inconsistent, despite five home runs from their young superstar Longoria. Tampa should get things going when they get home, where they were one of the best teams in baseball last year.
The Boston Red Sox have come out of the gates sluggish at 2-4. Their offense has struggled with just 22 runs in 6 games. With stars like Ortiz, Bay, Pedroia, and Drew in their lineup to go along with one of the deepest pitching staffs in baseball, they are bound to turn things around sooner or later.
American League Central
Five teams are bunched together in the competitive AL Central, with the Indians ringing up the rear.
The Detroit Tigers lead the division at 4-3. They are looking to bounce back from a disappointing season last year. Their offense has looked strong thus far led by Cabrera and Granderson. The pitching has been solid and it appears that the Tigers are poised to have a bounce back year.
The Chicago White Sox have gotten out to a 3-3 start. They have gotten good pitching thus far led by their ace Buerhle and closer Jenks, but the offense has been shaky. If they are going to contend they are going to need to find a way to score more runs.
The Kansas City Royals are also .500 at 3-3. They have a very good starting rotation led by Meche, Greinke, and Bannister. Their offense has struggled, however, scoring just 14 runs in 6 games. Needless to say, the offense must get it going if they are going to stay in contention.
The Minnesota Twins have gotten out of the blocks 3-4. If they are going to contend, they need their top starters like Liriano and Slowey to pitch better and they need to get some power in the lineup outside of Morneau.
The Cleveland Indians have gotten off to a terribly disappointing 1-5 start. Their top two starters, Lee and Carmona are going to have to pitch much better if this team is going to get back in contention. Their offense led by Sizemore, Hafner, and Choo has been solid, but they must be even better until the pitching comes around.
American League West
The worst team in the division last year, the Seattle Mariners, is in first place so far this year.
The Seattle Mariners are off to a flying start at 5-2. They have a great one-two punch at the top of the rotation with Hernandez and Bedard. Their offense hasn't been great but they've scored just enough to win games. The offense, though, is going to have to score more runs to consistently win games, especially when the top two are not on the mound.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, heavy favorites to win the division again this year, have gotten off to a mediocre 3-3 start. They have pitched well thus far and should get even stronger once Escobar and Santana get off the DL. Their offense has been average so far and must score more runs if they are to retain their dominance at the top of the division. It remains to be seen what kind of long-term impact, if any, that the Nick Adenhart tragedy has on the team.
The Texas Rangers have also gotten off to a 3-3 start. Their offense has been solid, led by Hamilton and Kinsler. Their pitching, as usual, has been shaky. Unless they get more consistent pitching, they won't be able to stay in the race.
The Oakland Athletics sit in last place at 2-4. Their pitching has been solid, but their offense has struggled. The A's need a big year out of Giambi if the offense is going to score enough to win games consistently.
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