Blue Jays AL East Recap: Jays Fall to the Bottom

O’s Maintain Pace

Baltimore Orioles: 26-16

Despite an average week, the Orioles maintain pace with the Red Sox for the drivers seat in the AL East. With an offence that seemingly won’t quit, the Orioles have put themselves in a good position early in the season.

They found success despite being outscored 34-21 this week by the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels. They will look for more wins, and more runs, as they enter a three-game series with the Astros on Tuesday.

The Orioles rotation is still looking for consistency despite Chris Tillman‘s dominance this season. However with the powerful bats that back them, and a solid bullpen, to bail them out, the Orioles haven’t really felt any negatives from their rotation woes.

Final Takeaway:

The Orioles will continue to ride their offense to fortune for as long as they can, and at this rate, it’ll get them to October. They’ll hope for their rotation to sharpen up before then.

Next: Sox Keep the Pace

Red Sox ride hot JBJ; offense to maintain pace

Boston Red Sox: 27-17

The Red Sox continued to be a force to be reckoned with this week, despite early struggles with the Royals.

Jackie Bradley Jr. extended his hitting streak to 27 games on Sunday night, while David Ortiz continues to hit like it’s 2004. The Red Sox received a much needed shot in the arm adding Joe Kelly back from the disabled list and watched him shine on Saturday in his start against the Indians.

Kelly will provide a much-needed boost for the Red Sox rotation as they still try to find consistency. However, much like the Orioles, a consistent rotation doesn’t mean much when you are outscoring your opponent as much as the Red Sox are.

David Price continues to be a mixed bag of tricks, adding another win to his record, while still managing a 5.53 ERA.

Final Takeaway:

Offence has been the name of the game early in the AL East, as powerful bullpens continue to be the succeeding force behind it. The Red Sox have both, and will look to gain a lead if the Orioles’ offence falters.

Next: The Evil Empire Strikes Back

Yankees ride a streak of strong starts back into the picture

New York Yankees: 21-11

The Yankees received five straight quality starts in five consecutive wins to close that gap in the AL East. Their success amid the Jays’ inconsistencies has helped to propel New York back into the picture and third overall in the division. They will look to continue this against the Blue Jays and the Rays this week.

The rotation has long been New York’s biggest problem, but this week saw five consecutive starting pitchers twirl out gems, and wins as a result. With an offence that has regained consistency after an early May slump, they Yankees could make a stab at the top of the division.

The Yankees bullpen has established itself as one of the most feared units in the American League, something which will come in handy as the Yankees look to dispatch their division foes this week.

Final Takeaway:

The Yankees could be poised for a major breakthrough. By finding consistency in their rotation, they can enable their scary offence and dominant pen to the win column.

Next: Rays keep themselves in the picture

Rays stay in the picture

Tampa Bay Rays: 20-21

The Tampa Bay Rays slaughtered the Blue Jays early in the week, in a dazzling combination of rotation dominance and offensive superiority. This display of power/pitching has been the thing the Rays have been missing on a consistent basis.

If they can keep things going against fellow division rivals this week, they may well be able to fight their way towards the front end of the division.

Tampa Bay’s offence showed they were capable of exploiting some of the League’s best pictures early in the week, as the Rays staff showed that they were no slouches either.

Drew Smyly, Chris Archer, and Jake Odorizzi combined to allow just five earned runs in 27 innings at the beginning of the week, followed by Matt Andriese pulling off his third straight win to highlight a four-game win streak.

Next: Blue Jays shopping Drew Storen?

Final Takeaway:

The Rays will look for more of the same from both their lineup and their rotation as they look to gain ground in the the AL East.