AL CENTRAL
Detroit has their chance to make an early statement, and they award their good play from the previous week by going 1-4, including a sweep from the hands of the first place Minnesota Twins.
The early season shows us the Twins are the best team in the division, and the team to beat. They pitch, third in the Al with a 3.62 ERA; they play defense, leading the AL with only six errors; they can hit, fifth in the Al with a .273 average and third in runs scored with 158.
The White Sox showed sign of life with some good pitching performances. The only problem was they went 3-4, including a loss in extra innings and once on a blown save. It isn’t looking too good for Chicago right now.
AL EAST
The Rays and Yankees are the class of the East and maybe the American League. They are one, two in runs scored respectively, and they are one, two in ERA, with the Rays leading the majors with 2.79.
The teams are so close; it is hard to choose which is the better team at the moment. The Rays hold a half game lead at the moment, so they get the edge. However, the Rays did lose two of three to the Oakland Athletics.
The Red Sox continue to struggle versus the Yankees, and if they don’t start to win these games, the division is over. To add insult to injury, the Toronto Blue Jays are playing great baseball right now, and the Red Sox are looking up at three teams who look like they can continue to win all year. Could Terry Francona’s job be in jeopardy after this season?
AL WEST
The Oakland Athletics are playing amazing baseball for what was expected, and they trail the Rangers at the moment, but the Angels and Mariners are struggling to win which leaves the division wide open.
Not only is Ben Sheets pitching well, they also capped the week off with a perfect game by Dallas Braden. What makes Braden’s performance all the more impressive? He did it against the Rays, who lead the league in runs scored.
The Mariners and Angels can’t tell themselves it is still early for much longer. They need to string some wins together soon and often. They only good news: The division remains an inconsistent question mark. The bad news: The Mariners are dead last with only 94 runs scored, while the Angels are third to last n ERA at 4.98.
TOP FIVE AL TEAMS APRIL 26:
1.) New York Yankees - They trail the Rays, but they had a
better week.
2.) Tampa Bay Rays – They are in first place with the most runs
scored and an ERA under three.
3.) Minnesota Twins – They took care of business at home versus the
Tigers and play with great fundamentals.
4.) Toronto Blue Jays – They went 6-1 last week, and they are 12-4
on the road
.
5.) Oakland Athletics – With a perfect game and series wins over
the Rays and Rangers, they deserve this
spot.
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