Toronto and Oakland; early surprises in AL

The American League has had a few oddities in the first week of play. With a week into the season, there are many teams out of rhythm, including most of my picks. However, the struggling teams weren’t doing what they were capable of, and it hurt.

The Central division has the Tigers and Twins doing well, which was what most expected. The White Soc can’t say the same thing. After winning the opener, they lost four straight. The main reason was the offense. Out of 94 men who reached base safely, they only scored 10 runs. It is fifth to last in the American League, and many of these base runners were in scoring position.

The East division has the Yankees and Red Sox looking far from perfect, unless you count the CC Sabathia performance versus the Rays, but they are not in rhythm yet. The pitching is looking stellar for both clubs, and the new comers are fitting in well. The Blue Jays had the best start in the league so far.

The West is all out of sorts after one week. The Mariners and Angels, my picks for one and two in the division, are 2-5 and looking far from good. The Athletics are pitching better than expected, and the Rangers have been winning games against Seattle. If the Mariners and Angels want to be back in rhythm, they need to score runs. It is looking a little dismal early on.

So here are the top five for the week:

1.) Toronto Blue Jays- Great pitching and Vernon Wells has four homeruns and seven RBIs.

2.) Minnesota Twins- They may not be in first, but they are winning with pitching and timely hitting

3.) Oakland Athletics- They have won many close games so far, and they are doing it with a roster full of names most haven’t heard of.

4.) New York Yankees- The pitching is coming around, and the rest of the league should worry.

5.) Detroit Tigers- They are in first, but the pitching has struggled.