AL East Round Up: Mother’s Day Edition

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Tamp Bay Rays

Teams win on the back of pitching and defense. That would explain why the Rays currently sit in last place. With all of the injuries the Rays starters are dealing with, there will be even more importance placed on the starts of David Price. Even before all of these injuries, Price had been the focal point. Now, it is even more vital that he be David Price. Except, he isn’t.

Price leads the league in starts (8), which is great for a team dealing with injuries. But, he’s not fooling many batters. He also leads the league in hits and homeruns allowed. His walks per 9 number is great. All of this tells me that he is hitting the strike zone, but way too much of it.

The good news for the Rays is that Jeremy Hellickson and Alex Cobb may be returning soon. Jim Hawkins of MLB.com tells us Alex Cobb threw a successful bullpen session. He could be back by the end of May. Hawkins also shares that Hellickson could be back by July. Don’t count the Rays out yet!

As for defense: Yunel Escobar made his 6th error of the season on Friday night and hurt himself in the process. In 2013, he made just 7 all year. Both are far fewer than his 12 and 14 error seasons in Toronto, but still. Blue Jays fans will be interested in seeing the play that hurt Escobar’s thumb and had him removed from the lineup on Saturday:

Of course, I will refrain from making a derogatory comment about him and his ‘toughness’ on that play. I’m not like that. I certainly wouldn’t put it on my eye black. In seriousness, I’ve had my thumb jammed like that and it hurts!

Once again, Tropicana Field showed its ugly face. The most hideous stadium in baseball suffered a light shortage on Tuesday night:

Celebratory Brett Lawrie High Five goes to Desmond Jennings who took home AL Player of the Week honours for his plat last week. According to Joey Nowak at MLB.com, Jennings hit .355 (11-for-31) with 3 doubles, 3 homeruns, 3 RBI, 8 runs and 3 SB. He led MLB in total bases (23), extra-base hits (six) and was tied for first in homers. Jennings also led the AL in runs and was tied for the lead in hits.