A.L. East Review: Blue Jays pick up ground while Rays get dealt a tough hand

May 6, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Ryan Goins (17) makes the throw to first for a fielder

Outside of a few teams, baseball as a whole has had a rough start to the 2015 MLB season. With nearly every team team taking a few punches to begin the year, only 13 of the 30 enter play on the second Sunday in May with a winning record.

In no other division in baseball is that more evident than it is in the American League East.

Pitching has been the biggest culprit in holding down what was once baseball’s toughest division. Through May 9th, the A.L. East has cumulative ERA of 4.10. Compared to the 3.96 cumulative ERA for all 30 teams, and it is easy to see how far below the curve the pitching has truly been.

That said, it is still early in May and the historically high run production against American League East pitching staffs can’t possibly continue into the summer. Changes will be made, players will improve, and luck will undoubtedly change. Already, we are starting to see some of that happen within the division, with four of the five teams playing at .500 or better over the last 10 days. And with only 5.5. games separating first place from last, there is a legitimate chance that any of these teams could turn it around at any time.

So how have the teams in the American League East stacked up over the last week?

Next: First place in a New York Minute