Around the A.L. East - Orioles, Yankees gain a little ground on Blue Jays

1. Toronto Blue Jays

SBN Blog: Bluebird Banter
2014 record: 39-29
2014 RS/RA: 323/290 (+33)
6/6-6/12 RS/RA: 12/30 (-18)

Week in Review

The Jays finally cooled off a little bit this week, dropping two of three to both the Cardinals and Twins before dropping last night's contest against the Orioles.  Their offense scuffled a bit, getting shut out for three of the five losses, and their pitchers combined for less than three runs allowed only once.  So maybe this team is finally coming back to earth, although the rest of the East doesn't appear to be especially eager to capitalize on it.

Toronto will finish out the series here in Baltimore, then head right up the coast to play three against the Yankees in New York.

2. Baltimore Orioles

2014 record: 34-31
2014 RS/RA: 278/277 (+1)
6/6-6/12 RS/RA: 24/21 (+3)

Week in Review

The Orioles kept doing what they do, dropping two of three to Oakland before winning two against Boston and notching the first contest against Toronto.  Another .500ish week, though, was enough to pick up a couple games on division-leading Toronto following their not-so-hot week.  Limiting Boston to one run for an entire series was nothing to sneeze at, even with the team overall still frustrating, and even if the Red Sox offense isn't what it used to be.

The Orioles play three more against Toronto to close out an extended homestand, then ship on down to Florida to play three against the Rays.

3. New York Yankees

SBN Blog: Pinstripe Alley
2014 record: 34-31
2014 RS/RA: 262/287 (-25)
6/6-6/12 RS/RA: 22/19 (+3)

Week in Review

The Yankees had themselves a nice week, picking up a couple games on Toronto and moving into a tie with the Orioles.  Their offense still isn't putting up big numbers with all its injuries -- they only scored more than four runs in a game once -- but their pitching is keeping them in most contests, with everyone except David Phelps keeping the Yankees in striking distance this week.

New York will finish a short west coast swing with a three-game set in Oakland, then return home to face Toronto in the Bronx before the Orioles roll into town the following weekend.

4. Boston Red Sox

SBN Blog: Over the Monster
2014 record: 30-36
2014 RS/RA: 259/281 (-22)
6/6-6/12 RS/RA: 19/30 (-11)

Week in Review

Another tough week in Beantown, with the Sox dropping two out of three to Detroit and the Orioles alike.  Boston scored some runs in Detroit (13 runs in three games), but just got outscored twice as their pitching faltered a bit.  Then their bats went totally dead in Baltimore, scoring one run in the whole series even as the Orioles pitchers giften them baserunners all over the place.  If that one run didn't come in a 1-0 shutout in a rain-delayed Brandon Workman start, the week would look a lot uglier for the Sox.  Snagging the first game of a four-game set against Cleveland helped, too.

Boston will finish out that Cleveland series, then host the Twins for three games, an easier run that might let them get something back together.

5. Tampa Bay Rays

SBN Blog: DRays Bay
2014 record: 25-42
2014 RS/RA: 242/294 (-52)
6/6-6/12 RS/RA: 14/19 (-5)

Week in Review

The Rays' miserable season continued, dropping three out of four to the Mariners and splitting a two game set with the Cardinals.  They were shut out on three consecutive days and for 31 consecutive innings.  The Rays' two wins both came on starts from our old friend Erik Bedard, who's lowered his season ERA below 4.

It will be interesting to see if the Rays go into seller mode soon, to load up on prospects for next year with trade bait like Ben Zobrist and David Price.  In the meantime, Tampa will head to Houston and play the Astros this week, then host the Orioles for a three-game set Monday-Wednesday.