June 18:

Yanks sweep gNats, after sweeping Braves and Mets - all good NL East teams.  Starters have been tremendous, going deep into games and not allowing runs.  You can't be much hotter over 4 weeks.

Last 24:  20-4

And they are still due, as the hitting w/Risp hasn't kicked in yet, still 40 points under the basic batting average, and it *will* climb as with all teams that number circles nearer the BA.  The streak hasn't included a few of those typical games with double digit outbursts. The games with the gNats were close - no laughers.

Sunday All AL East teams beat their NL opponents - O's, Rays, Jays and NY won.  Tough division.

Josh Beckett (right shoulder inflammation) going on the 15-day disabled list.  ouch

AL East:             Era Starter-Pen,  OPS     GB

NY Yankees  (41-25)  4.08 - 2.63,  789
Baltimore      (39-28)  4.49 - 2.39,  731    - 2.5
Tampa Bay   (37-29)  3.58 - 3.32,  701    - 4.0
Toronto         (34-33)  4.08 - 3.75,  734    - 7.5
Boston         (33-33)  4.79 - 3.36,  764    - 8.0


NY Yankees, Last 7 days: 7 wins.  Slg: 405, ERA: 1.99
Baltimore,     Last 7 days: 6 wins.  Slg: 439, ERA: 3.00
Boston,        Last 7 days: 4 wins.  Slg: 343, ERA: 2.95
Toronto,        Last 7 days: 4 wins.  Slg: 424, ERA: 3.52
Tampa Bay,  Last 7 days: 3 wins.  Slg: 308, ERA: 4.04

Amazing that when the Yankees can't seem to hit with runner on, their starters step up for the last 2 weeks and carry the team to the top of the AL East.  Robertson is due back in a few days, but Gardner keeps having setbacks and isn't expected until mid-July.  The team's ERA has improved from 22nd to 10th in MLB over the last 3 weeks, while they won 14 of the last 18 or so.

The Rays and O's continue to hang around and the O's look for real.  Jays?  Not so much, with Brabdon Morrow injured.

The Red Sox continue to struggle - so much so Bobby V. is asking for automated umps. 

The standings... and why:

AL East:          Era Starter-Pen,     OPS        GB

NY Yankees  (35-25)  4.23 - 2.78,  796
Tampa Bay   (35-25)  3.45 - 3.30,  711    - 0.0
Baltimore      (34-26)  4.65 - 2.37,  728    - 1.0
Toronto          (31-30)  3.99 - 4.11,  730    - 4.5
Boston           (29-32)  4.94 - 3.53,  771    - 6.5

Recent play:

NY Yankees, Last 7 days: 6 wins.  Slg: 464, ERA: 1.71
Tampa Bay,   Last 7 days: 4 wins.  Slg: 406, ERA: 3.29
Toronto,         Last 7 days: 3 wins.  Slg: 424, ERA: 3.34
Baltimore,     Last 7 days: 4 wins.  Slg: 324, ERA: 4.50
Boston,          Last 7 days: 1 wins.  Slg: 325, ERA: 3.86

Imagine what happens when NY returns to hitting with runners on base...  in addition to HRs?

June 4

AL East:        Era Starter-Pen,  OPS     GB

Tampa Bay  (31-23)  3.37 - 3.52,  709
Baltimore    (30-24)  4.49 - 2.37,  742    - 1.0
NY Yankees (29-24)  4.64 - 2.81,  795    - 1.5
Boston          (28-26)  5.06 - 3.56,  790    - 3.0
Toronto         (28-26)  4.02 - 4.44,  727    - 3.0

Hughes pitches a complete game to win over Verlander.  Starters show improvement, but hitters still don't.

Bard walks 6 and hits two in 2 innings.  O's and Jays slide.  Rays headed into NY.


Boston       BA: 273,  Ba-risp: 298   + 25
Toronto      BA: 244,  Ba-risp: 274   + 30
Baltimore    BA: 248,  Ba-risp: 242   - 6
Tampa Bay  BA: 236,  Ba-risp: 229   - 7
NY Yankees  BA: 266,  Ba-risp: 219   - 47

Yanks have decided that sac flies, moving runners along and hits with runners on are for wussies - from now on, HRs are for real men.  The only runners in scoring position are the ones at bat. Screw small ball.

Will Pettitte handle the slugging LA Angels tonight in his 4th start since his impressive return?  If NY hits, he looks like the ageless help NY has gotten these last few years.  Keep the ball in the park, Andy.

Past week, Jays fade, Sox and Yanks improve.  Still the brutal AL East.


AL East:         Era Starter-Pen,  OPS     GB

Baltimore     (29-20)  4.31 - 2.33,  749
Tampa Bay   (29-20)  3.39 - 3.68,  725    
NY Yankees   (26-22)  4.74 - 2.76,  797    - 2.5
Toronto           (25-24)  4.03 - 4.40,  722    - 4.0
Boston            (24-24)  5.08 - 3.74,  786    - 4.5


Over their heads:

Boston       BA: 272,  Ba-risp: 298   + 26
Toronto       BA: 244,  Ba-risp: 282   + 38
Baltimore    BA: 249,  Ba-risp: 247   - 2
Tampa Bay  BA: 242,  Ba-risp: 230   - 12
NY Yankees BA: 267,  Ba-risp: 221   - 46


Red Sox and Blue Jays living over their heads with runners on, due to slow down.

Yanks and Rays due to score more.

Andy Pettitte rejoined the Yanks staff on Mother's day after 2 years away and pitched as expected - let's see the next few.

Orioles continue to surprise everyone. especially skeptics of their starters.  Stood up against Texas.

Jays hang around;  Rays and Sox rebound but 4-6 over last 10.

Beckett stumbles after the golf stint, fans booing.  Missed start, prefering to play 18 as rehab.  Really?

The season is one quarter along later this week - Will the AL East eat each other's young?



AL East:        Era Starter-Pen,  OPS     GB
Baltimore   (22-13)  3.98 - 2.13,  758
Tampa Bay  (21-14)  3.55 - 4.33,  747    - 1.0
NY Yankees (19-15)  4.78 - 2.70,  808    - 2.5
Toronto         (19-16)  3.40 - 4.45,  713    - 3.0
Boston         (15-19)  5.80 - 3.92,  795    - 6.5

17th inning, pens are out of gas.  Odds on one of your best hitters?

Adrian Gonzalez struck out against Orioles DH Chris Davis on three pitches. That's almost impossible to fathom, isn't it?

AL East:      Era Starter-Pen,  OPS

Baltimore    (19-9)   3.56 - 1.41,  759
Tampa Bay  (19-10)  3.51 - 4.45,  758

Toronto        (16-13)  3.55 - 4.25,  710
NY Yankees (15-13)  5.54 - 2.31,  806

Boston         (11-16)  5.88 - 4.53,  769


--

O's are hanging in.  Rays and Jays, too.  They have starters.

Mo Rivera will be back.  On one leg, if need be.

April 30th

End of April, and the O's and Jay's aren't fading.  The O's are living on starters and a pen (and Buck Showalter), but need some hitting.  The Jay's look weaker all around.

The 3 initial favorites struggle in different ways:  the Rays have won 7 of 8 on their starters - no pen - and hitting 31 points lower with runners in scoring position than overall BA. Once this improves, watch out.

The Yanks have the pen, but must keep slugging to try and outrun no starters. The Red Sox starters are better but suspect along with a pen out of ink, so slugging away has saved them for now.  Dice-K is due back... is that a good thing?  If the O's and Jay's hang in, a tough division limits any one of these five teams total wins.

AL East:      Era Starter-Pen,  OPS

Baltimore  (14-8)  3.71 - 1.88,  742
Tampa Bay  (14-8)  3.44 - 6.17,  775
NY Yankees (12-9)  6.37 - 2.06,  833
Toronto        (12-10)  3.51 - 4.52,  718
Boston         (10-11)  5.19 - 6.34,  797

Its two weeks or so into the 2012 baseball season.  By the end of the weekend we'll be 10% along the way to playoffs.  Here's how things stand:

The O's and J's insist they'll compete in the toughest division in the majors and they are, so far.  Both riding ok starters, so-so hitting but good on base averages.  Can they hang come August?

The Sox and Rays are struggling as their slugging can't overcome weak bullpens.  Sox starters have yet to gel and the hangover from the end of last year looks to be still hurting the chemistry.  Dusty tells Bobby V that's not the way we do things around here... airing barbs with the media.  Bobby V knows no other way or he's looking to rally teamates around Youk.  Not working so far.

The Yanks starters have been shakey - CC still rounding into form and Kuroda looking great one start, corroding in another.  Nova shines, Hughes can't challenge hitters inside.  Garcia?  bet the over.

But it's the bullpen that shines, giving the Yanks confidence that as long as they slug they can overcome those early runs by sloppy starters.

The little lyric bandbox that is Fenway turned 100 - Fans cheered a tipsy Kevin Millar and the 212 Sox players, but the 25 Yankees in old style uniforms put 5 solo homers into the seats and held the Red Sox to 2 runs to cool an otherwise sunny party.  Sox fans are hoping the pen improves after sending Melancon down to Pawtuket but it's the starters 2 through 5 that may be a bigger worry.

Spring is here, let's play two.   


AL East:     Era Starter-Pen,   OPS

NY Yankees (8-6)  5.40 - 1.71,  835
Baltimore     (8-6)  4.30 - 2.44,  760
Toronto         (7-6)  3.92 - 4.57,  701
Tampa Bay   (7-7)  4.02 - 8.49,  762
Boston         (4-9)  6.09 - 6.13,  762