Blue Jays crash AL East party
It?s time to take a look at the developing three-team race in the American League East Division.
It?s been a while since we could say this, but the AL East is no longer a tug-of-war between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The Toronto Blue Jays, who haven?t been a significant force since winning back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993, are once again on the baseball map. New York and Boston are tied for the division lead at 36-26; Toronto is just two games back at 35-29.
The view north of the border was expected to get a lot rosier after the Jays increased their payroll this offseason and added the likes of Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay, A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan to an already talented group of young players. And things have indeed progressed in line with expectations ? the Jays have earned a mild profit of 2.5 units thus far. But there is room for even more improvement.
Burnett has only pitched 10 innings for the Jays this year after starting the season on the disabled list with scar tissue in his right elbow. Now, after a brilliant rehab performance Monday night at AAA-Syracuse (five innings, no hits, one walk), it looks like Burnett is about to claim his place in the Jays starting rotation. Most teams would drool over the opportunity to send Burnett and 2003 AL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay to the mound. Halladay is back in Cy Young form with a 2.75 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. The Jays are 11-2 and 6.6 units in the black when Halladay starts.
The Yankees, meanwhile, have been bitten by the injury bug. Actually, it?s more like an injury shark. Both Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui are on the DL; Jason Giambi has also missed action after getting plunked in the hand Saturday by the Oakland Athletics, leaving the Yankees with a serious shortage of firepower in the batting lineup. New York is 1-4 in its last five games heading into Wednesday?s tilt at Yankee Stadium with the Cleveland Indians.
Boston is also in a bit of a funk at 3-5 in its last eight games. Coco Crisp is finally off the disabled list, but David Wells, Mike Timlin and Wily Mo Pena have all spent time on the shelf recently. The starting rotation has been less than stellar without a healthy Wells ? Josh Beckett, for instance, is 7-3 but carrying a 5.26 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Beckett has needed all of the 5.92 runs per game Boston provides him to keep his head above water. As for Matt Clement, one of the most coveted pitchers in the 2005 free agent class, he?s persona non grata with a 6.68 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP.
But is this really a three-horse race? According to Baseball Prospectus and their ongoing playoff odds report, the Red Sox and Yankees are still on pace to finish in a dead heat at around 96-66. The Jays are being pegged for something in the vicinity of 88-74. The missing ingredients from those extrapolations are the injuries. The Yankees appear to be in the most peril without Sheffield and Matsui (57 home runs combined in 2005) in the lineup. Sheffield was due to have surgery Tuesday on the torn ligaments and dislocated tendon in his left wrist; Matsui also had surgery on his wrist last month, but isn?t expected back in action until August.
The good news for Yankees supporters is that their favorite team is in a better position to handle these injuries than it was last season. Sheffield and Matsui helped keep the Yanks afloat in 2005 when their pitching was abysmal; this year, New York has improved significantly, allowing opponents to rack up a paltry .718 OPS. Only the Mets, Tigers and Padres have done better, and all three play in noted pitcher?s parks.
The Yanks aren?t out of the woods yet, however. Mike Mussina (2.76 ERA, 0.99 WHIP) has carried the starting rotation on his back. Jaret Wright hasn?t been much help since missing most of last year with shoulder problems, and even Randy Johnson has looked human this season. New York cannot afford to have its rotation taken down a peg with any more injuries. Boston is in much the same boat; the Jays, on the other hand, have done just fine in Burnett?s absence. With both Burnett and Gustavo Chacin (elbow) due to return to action by July at the latest, Toronto could be looking at reclaiming the American League East.
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
It?s time to take a look at the developing three-team race in the American League East Division.
It?s been a while since we could say this, but the AL East is no longer a tug-of-war between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The Toronto Blue Jays, who haven?t been a significant force since winning back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993, are once again on the baseball map. New York and Boston are tied for the division lead at 36-26; Toronto is just two games back at 35-29.
The view north of the border was expected to get a lot rosier after the Jays increased their payroll this offseason and added the likes of Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay, A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan to an already talented group of young players. And things have indeed progressed in line with expectations ? the Jays have earned a mild profit of 2.5 units thus far. But there is room for even more improvement.
Burnett has only pitched 10 innings for the Jays this year after starting the season on the disabled list with scar tissue in his right elbow. Now, after a brilliant rehab performance Monday night at AAA-Syracuse (five innings, no hits, one walk), it looks like Burnett is about to claim his place in the Jays starting rotation. Most teams would drool over the opportunity to send Burnett and 2003 AL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay to the mound. Halladay is back in Cy Young form with a 2.75 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. The Jays are 11-2 and 6.6 units in the black when Halladay starts.
The Yankees, meanwhile, have been bitten by the injury bug. Actually, it?s more like an injury shark. Both Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui are on the DL; Jason Giambi has also missed action after getting plunked in the hand Saturday by the Oakland Athletics, leaving the Yankees with a serious shortage of firepower in the batting lineup. New York is 1-4 in its last five games heading into Wednesday?s tilt at Yankee Stadium with the Cleveland Indians.
Boston is also in a bit of a funk at 3-5 in its last eight games. Coco Crisp is finally off the disabled list, but David Wells, Mike Timlin and Wily Mo Pena have all spent time on the shelf recently. The starting rotation has been less than stellar without a healthy Wells ? Josh Beckett, for instance, is 7-3 but carrying a 5.26 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Beckett has needed all of the 5.92 runs per game Boston provides him to keep his head above water. As for Matt Clement, one of the most coveted pitchers in the 2005 free agent class, he?s persona non grata with a 6.68 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP.
But is this really a three-horse race? According to Baseball Prospectus and their ongoing playoff odds report, the Red Sox and Yankees are still on pace to finish in a dead heat at around 96-66. The Jays are being pegged for something in the vicinity of 88-74. The missing ingredients from those extrapolations are the injuries. The Yankees appear to be in the most peril without Sheffield and Matsui (57 home runs combined in 2005) in the lineup. Sheffield was due to have surgery Tuesday on the torn ligaments and dislocated tendon in his left wrist; Matsui also had surgery on his wrist last month, but isn?t expected back in action until August.
The good news for Yankees supporters is that their favorite team is in a better position to handle these injuries than it was last season. Sheffield and Matsui helped keep the Yanks afloat in 2005 when their pitching was abysmal; this year, New York has improved significantly, allowing opponents to rack up a paltry .718 OPS. Only the Mets, Tigers and Padres have done better, and all three play in noted pitcher?s parks.
The Yanks aren?t out of the woods yet, however. Mike Mussina (2.76 ERA, 0.99 WHIP) has carried the starting rotation on his back. Jaret Wright hasn?t been much help since missing most of last year with shoulder problems, and even Randy Johnson has looked human this season. New York cannot afford to have its rotation taken down a peg with any more injuries. Boston is in much the same boat; the Jays, on the other hand, have done just fine in Burnett?s absence. With both Burnett and Gustavo Chacin (elbow) due to return to action by July at the latest, Toronto could be looking at reclaiming the American League East.
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
