AL East Roundup: More Bad Luck For Evil Empire And It Is Not Going To Get Better Anytime Soon

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Boston Red Sox	16	9	–	6-4	L1	—
Toronto Blue Jays	13	13	3.5	5-5	L1	134
Baltimore Orioles	12	15	5.0	2-8	L3	132
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	11	15	5.5	5-5	L1	132
New York Yankees	10	14	5.5	2-8	W1	133

Yankees 10, Rangers 1. The Yankees just can’t catch a break this season. Phil Hughes, one of the top prospects in baseball making just his second start, was pitching a no-hitter through 6.1 innings but had to leave the game with a strained hamstring that will keep him out of action for 4-6 weeks. The Yankees 5-6-7 hitters, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano combined for 8 hits and 7 RBI.

A’s 5, Red Sox 4 (10 inn). The Sox led 4-0 after 3 innings, but the A’s rallied with 2 in the 9th to tie the game on a 2-run home run by Travis Buck off of Jonathon Papplebon, and won the game with an RBI double in the 10th by Dan Johnson.

Tigers 5, Orioles 4. Former Devil Ray Danys Baez gave up 2 runs in the 8th to break a 3-3 tie. Adam Loewen gave up 3 runs in 5 innings, and it has now been almost three weeks since an O’s pitcher worked at least 7 innings. Baltimore has lost 8 of 9.

Indians 12, Blue Jays 4. The Blue Jays are a .500 team and AJ Burnett is the epitome of a .500 pitcher. Burnett made his 6th start of the season and he gave up 7 runs in 5 innings. He now has 3 good starts on the season and has been shelled 3 times.

NOTE FROM AROUND THE AL EAST…

• Things don’t get any easier for the Yankees. Starting May 15, after home-and-home series with the Mariners and the Rangers, the Yankees embark on a 22-game stretch that includes 7 games with the White Sox, 6 games with the Red Sox, 3 with the Angels and 3 with the Mets. Normally the Yankees would be happy with a .500 record over a stretch that difficult, but that might not cut it this season.
• Jonny Damon flew to Orlando to see a back specialist. He says he is feeling better and will likely avoid the DL. This reeks of being a problem all season and we bet Bernie Williams is kicking himself right now for being a stubborn ass in the spring.
• This is a new one…Josh Towers was pulled from the Jays rotation because the Jays don’t score enough when he is pitching. Is he bad luck? If the Nationals did that, nobody would be in their rotation.

AL East Roundup: Kevin Millar Is A Dancing Machine

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Toronto Blue Jays	4	2	–	4-2	W3	—
Boston Red Sox	3	3	0.5	3-3	W1	156
New York Yankees	3	3	1.0	3-3	W1	156
Baltimore Orioles	3	4	1.5	3-4	W2	155
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	2	4	2.0	2-4	L3	155

Yankees 8, Twinkies 2. What the heck is going on with the Bombers? Alex Rodriguez hit his 5th home run and is all of the sudden the Prince of New York and Carl Pavano pitched seven strong innings for the win, and probably won’t get booed in his next home start.

Blue Jays 9, Royals 1. The Jays won their home opener behind the pitching of AJ Burnett and their high powered offense. Burnett worked inot the 7th for the win and Vernon Wells hit his second home run.

Orioles 6, Tigers 2. The Orioles (and the Rays bullpen) helped return the Rays to their rightful place in the standings

NOTES FROM AROUND THE AL EAST…

• For those of you that ever read the Devil Rays mailbag on the team’s website, THIS is the way it is supposed to be done. Give us the facts…And tell us what you think and say it with confidence.
• Melky Cabrera is now hitting .095. Somewhere Bernie Williams is smiling.
  
• The are some bizarre urban legends about the Blue Jays. Apparently they are true.
• The Blue Jays and their fans are thinking world series this year.
• The Blue Jays offense is good enough to get to the playoffs, but the pitching is not good enough to win in October.
• We have to remember that the first week can be hard on team’s that open on the road. None of the coaches and players have been home in almost two months. The Orioles were glad to finally get some home cookin’.
• It amazes us how many people predict the Orioles to do well this season.
• Even Camden Yards has trouble drawing fans when the team is not good. It has never been about the Trop or the location of the field. WIN, and they will come.
• During pre-game introductions at the Oriole’s home opener, Kevin Millar did the Ray Lewis-dance. Oh no. You can find the clip HERE.

AL East Roundup: Yankees Can’t Get Out Of Thir Own Way

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Toronto Blue Jays	3	2	–	3-2	W2	—
Boston Red Sox	3	3	0.5	3-3	W1	157
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	2	3	1.0	2-3	L2	157
New York Yankees	2	3	1.0	2-3	L1	157
Baltimore Orioles	2	4	1.5	2-4	W1	156

Orioles 6, Yankees 4. The Boss is getting ready to make some heads roll. After splitting a season-opening series against the Devil Rays, the Yankees turned around and lost 2 of 3 to the O’s. All at Yankee Stadium. Alex Rodriguez hit his third home run in 2 games and fourth of the year to give the Yanks a lead in the first inning. However, in the eighth, with Bobby Abreu on first, down by two, A-Rod was only able to draw a walk. Yankees fan can now resume their natural hatred of the best hitter in baseball.

Red Sox 3, Rangers 2.Big Papi supplied all the offense with a solo home run and a 2-run shot. Curt Schilling rebounded rfom his poor opening day start to go seven strong innings and pick up the win. As far as we know, JD Drew still had all his limbs intact after the game, although Red Sox fans shouldn’t feel safe until he is tucked in bed tonight.

NOTES FROM AROUND THE AL EAST…

• The Yankees Hideki Matsui was placed on the DL with a strained hamstring. That is the second outfielder for the Yankees to miss action already this season. GM Brian Cashman has stated that they will not invite Bernie Williams to play this season, but we could see George Steinbrenner smacking Cashman around a little bit and telling him to go find Bernie.
• Buster Olney points out that in Kei Igawa’s major league debut, he threw 26 pitches that were not fastballs. Of the 26, there was only 1 called strike and nobody swung and missed. So far Yankees starting pitchers have pitched 21.2 innings in 5 games and given up 36 hits and a 9.97 era. That’s DevilRays-esque.
• While the Yankees starters are struggling in the cold weather, the answer to those problems could lie in the arm of AAA right hander Phillip Hughes, one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Yes, the Yankees do occasionally develop their own talent, and sometimes they even decide not to trade them.
• Joe Torre is not worried about the pitching. But you can tell he is starting to stir a bit.
• We don’t need no stinkin’ graph to tell us that Mo Rivera is the Yankees most valuable player.
• The Red Sox offense is struggling. Before Sunday’s 2-home run performance, the Red Sox had one home run as a team.
• The Orioles placed catcher Ramon Hernandez on the DL, with a strained oblique.
• Camden Yards got a little bit of an off-season make-over.
• Leo Mazzone is trying to rediscover his Atlanta Braves’ magic. Maybe trading for Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine will help.

AL East Roundup

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
New York Yankees	1	0	0	1-0	W1	—
Toronto Blue Jays	1	0	0	1-0	W1	—
Boston Red Sox	0	1	1.0	0-1	L1	161
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	0	1	1.0	0-1	L1	161
Baltimore Orioles	0	2	1.5	0-2	L2	160

Twins 3, Orioles 2. The O’s dropped their second straight in Minnesota. One day after being bested by a Johan Santana, with less than his best stuff, Baltimore blew an early 2-0 lead and fell to a guy named Boof. Former Devil Ray Aubrey Huff had two hits for the second straight game and his second RBI.

• Bernie Williams called manager Joe Torre and several of his teammates before the opening day match up with the Rays. Bernie insists that he is not retired but that he would not play for any team other than the Yankees in 2007. Williams declined a minor league contract offer from the Yankees before the season began.
• The Red Sox send Josh Beckett to the mound against the Royals. Beckett won 16 in his first season with the Sox, but was considered a disappointment with 5.01 ERA. The Sox and Curt Schilling dropped the opener to Kansas City.
• Toronto will go with AJ Burnett as they try to take two straight in Detroit. Burnett won 10 games in his first season in Toronto, but missed two months.