For most of the first two months of the 2014 season, it seemed like no team in the American League East cared to try to win the division. Near the end of May, though, it appeared that the Toronto Blue Jays started to take control. They went from an even .500 and 1.5 games out on May 15 to 5.5 games ahead on June 5. They maintained that lead for the next few days until hitting some hard times.
Now, the division has gotten much tighter, with the top three teams all within 1.5 games of each other. Here is how the five teams stand as of the close of play on June 22.
Toronto Blue Jays, 42-35
The Blue Jays have come back down to earth, losing 9 of 12 since June 10, including a three-game sweep to the Yankees. They have now lost Brett Lawrie to a fractured finger and possibly Jose Bautista for some time pending the outcome of his MRI. Both players suffered injury and left the team’s June 22 game. Their offense has slipped to 11th in the A.L. in runs scored in June (3.65 per game), and their pitching has a June ERA of 4.06, ninth in the league.
New York Yankees, 39-35, 1.5 GB
The Yankees won 8 of 10 before dropping two to Baltimore over the weekend. Masahiro Tanaka took just his second loss on Sunday, but he is still 11-2 with an ERA of 2.10. The Yankees play three in Toronto from June 23-25, and they have a chance to take first place. They will have to sweep the series to do so. In June, the Yankees are 12th in runs scored (3.63 per game) and 10th in ERA (4.07). CC Sabathia may return in July, but that is not certain. Michael Pineda may return in August, and Ivan Nova is done for the year.
Baltimore Orioles, 39-35, 1.5 GB
The Orioles just took two of three from the Yankees to pull even with them in the standings. The Orioles are about to start an 11-game home stand on Monday, including a four-game series with the Rays next weekend. Baltimore’s offense is heating up, scoring 4.27 runs per game in June with an ERA of 3.32, just the way to win ball games. They beat Tanaka Sunday afternoon, scoring three runs off him in seven innings.
Boston Red Sox, 35-41, 6.5 GB
The disappointment continues in Boston. Just when the Red Sox start to put things together, they suffer more injuries and lose more games. Clay Buchholz, Mike Carp, Shane Victorino, Ryan Lavarnway, and Will Middlebrooks are still all uncertain when they will return. They are 6.5 games out at 35-41 after winning Sunday’s extra-inning match-up with Oakland. If Buchholz comes back this week, then the Red Sox have to decide whom to remove from the rotation or even demote to Triple-A. Four pitchers will vie for two spots. In June, the Red Sox are last in the A.L. in runs scored (3.05), but at least their starters have kept them in games with a fourth-best 3.12 ERA.
Tampa Bay Rays, 31-46, 11.0 GB
The Rays have had a surprisingly very poor season. The loss of Matt Moore has hurt. David Price has tried to shoulder the load, but it is too much, especially when trade talks abound. In June, though, the Rays are second in the league with a 3.02 ERA thanks to Price’s 2.59, Jake Odorizzi‘s 2.52, and Chris Archer‘s 0.78. Those three pitchers, though, are a combined 3-9, and the Rays as a whole are 8-13 in June thanks to the Rays’ lackluster offense scoring 3.19 runs per game.
The 2014 season still has more than three months to go, and this division race will stay tight for the duration for the top three teams. It is up for grabs, and none of them have grabbed it and held onto it for an extended time. The one team that gets hot at the end will win it. A.L. East fans should experience much elation and frustration as this race plays out.
PHOTO CREDIT: http://www.lasportsanostra.com/previewing-american-league-east/