AL East Round Up: Opening Week Edition

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The first week of the season has nearly complete. All week, I’ve been humming the Holiday song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. The only thing better than the beginning of real games that count, better than baseball in April, would be baseball in October! Let’s take a look at how the teams in the toughest division in pro sports took their first steps toward playing in October.

STANDINGS:

Tampa Bay (4-2)

Toronto (3-3) 1GB

Boston (2-3) 1.5GB

NYY (2-3) 1.5 GB

Baltimore (1-4) 2.5GB

Toronto Blue Jays:

The opening game of the season did not look pretty…at all. Some would say the Blue Jays lost badly to the Rays 9-2. I argue that the Blue Jays actually won the game…for the Rays. With R.A. Dickey losing control of his knuckleball and walking 6 and a defensive nightmare in the 8th, the Blue Jays had no chance against Price and the Rays. The rough start to the season was wiped out when Drew Hutchison chipped in a nice start and Mark Buehrle struck out 11 the next night. Brandon Morrow gave up 4 runs in a loss to the Rays that evened the series. Then the Jays came home to face the Yankees for their home openener. Dustin McGowan made his first start of the season to mixed reviews. But, he is not showing ill effects from it, so we celebrate. Dickey followed his first outing with a gem of 6 2/3 shutout ball. It was nice to see his knuckleball whirling through the Yankee strike zone. Offensively, the Jays are being led by Melky Cabrera (.346/.346/.577) and Jose Bautista (.222/.722/1.162) Bautista leads the league (Yes, it is EARLY) with 3 HR and 7 walks. 7! The surprise contribution of the week is coming from Jonathan Diaz (.273/.333/.364). He was called up to replace Jose Reyes, who is trying to come off the DL (hamstring) by mid-April. Diaz was expected to be a solid defensive replacement for Reyes. Who knew he’d come in and give some clutch hits? Tuesday night he got his first MLB hit, RBI and stolen base against the Rays. Celebratory butt pat for Diaz!

NOTES

–It was admitted by Paul Beeston that the Blue Jays players were so desperate to land Ervin Santana that they offered to defer some of their own salary to clear some payroll. Wow. Is Rogers really that hard up for money? This whole saga is odd and frustrating that you may want to just block it out.

–Roy Halladay threw out the opening pitch at Rogers Centre. It was an odd moment of nostalgia mixed with longing as fans remembered his glory days, but wished he could still be part of the Jays rotation.

-Apparently, Dioner Navarro is fitting in nicely with his new club. It is a love fest for Navarro in the Jays club house.

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Red Sox:

The defending champions opened up 2014 in Baltimore, but forgot to tell their bats. Aside from a Grady Sizemore‘s homerun, the Red Sox offense was silent to open the season including going 0-10 with runners in scoring position Ouch. Jon Lester, though? Not so much. He struck out 8 in 7 innings. The bats came back the very next day (leave a comment below if you see what I did there). Mike Naploi (.263/.391/.632) drove in 4 in a 6-2 win. He’s leading the league with 7 RBI. And, David Ortiz just refuses to go quietly. He’s off to a good start (.333/.400/.500) again. You know that lineup won’t be held quiet for too many games. Clay Buchholz‘s first start of the season was a rough one: 4 1/3 innings pitched and 13 (!) hits. If the offense and pitching can get on the same page at the same time, look out.

NOTES:

-The Red Sox celebrated their championship with a trip to the White House and a ring ceremony. Blah Blah Blah. For some reason, the big story from the trip to DC was David Ortiz taking a selfie with President Obama. Um, ok….The Sox also received their championship rings. I’m sure they’re pretty and all, but…next.

-The Red Sox bullpen set a team record with 15 strikeouts. They chipped in 6 2/3 innings in Saturday’s 11 inning loss to the Brewers.

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees:

Oh, man. The Yankees started the season in Houston. They probably were pretty excited about that. Until they found themselves down early. The very first inning of 2014 saw C.C. Sabathia give up 4 runs and followed it up with 2 more in the second. That was the Houston Astros needed to hand the Yankees their first loss of 2014. But, they would also take care of the Yankees the next day too as the Yanks’ offense was quiet mustering only a single run. So far one of the few bright spots has been Masahiro Tanaka. He went 7 innings against the Blue Jays on Friday striking out 8 and only giving up 2 runs. The Yankees won the Jays’ home opener. It was exactly what the Yankees needed. If he can continue this, Tanaka will quickly develop his reputation as an ace. Michael Pineda also chipped in a solid start on Saturday in a losing effort in the second game against the Blue Jays. Sabathia will try and get bakc on track against the Jays in the series finale.

Offensively, the Yankees are led by a surprise in Yangervis Solarte (.538/.600/.769) This rookie is just raking right now. While there are so many veteran bats in that lineup, it is a surprise that Solarte is having such an impact. Perhaps that tells you the real story about the Yankees offense. Derek Jeter is batting .182. Carlos Beltran is batting .158. In 4 games, Alfonso Soriano doesn’t even have an average! However, Jacoby Ellsbury is batting .375 and leads the league with 3 stolen bases. He’s healthy…for now.

NOTES:

-Probably the most significant note is that on Mark Teixeira. He says his wrist may never feel the same AND he came out of Friday’s game in the second inning after chasing a foul ball. He is now on the 15 day DL nursing a strained hamstring. This is bad news for the Yankees considering Tex missed nearly all of last season due to injuries. See? This is why you don’t give away contracts for a hundred years and a bajillion dollars!

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Orioles:

The discounted improvements the Orioles made this year were put to the test early. Nelson Cruz endeared himself to his new team and fans by carrying the Orioles on Opening Day. He scored both of the Orioles runs in a 2-1 win against the Red Sox, including an 8th inning bomb. Thus far, the O’s offense has been awfully quiet. Adam Jones is hitting .235 with only 4 hits. Nick Markakis is hitting .190. Even Cruz, despite his initial impact, is hitting .176. Matt Wieters is hitting .400 but only 1 RBI. Can’t drive in runs if no one is on in front of you. The offense was supposed to be the hallmark of this team. Early on, it has been almost non-existent. It is going to have to step up in order to back the O’s pitching. Bud Norris gave up 5 ER in 5 innings on Saturday in a loss to the Detroit Tigers. Miguel Gonzalez gave up 3 ER in 3 1/3 innings in a rain filled affair on Friday. Wei-Yin Chen gave up 12 hits and 4 ER in 5 2/3 innings against the Red Sox on Thursday. And…wait for it…Ubaldo Jimenez gave up 4 ER and 3 walks in 6 innings. With pitching like this, the O’s NEED their offense to step it up.

NOTES:

-Rookie Jonathan Schoop is off to a slow start after hitting .214/.241/.321. He’ll see most of his time at second. Look for Buck Showalter to give this kid the opportunity to grow.

–According to Brittany Ghiroli, Johan Santana threw a bullpen session on Tuesday and it looked good. If it continues, he could join the team in June.