Through three weeks of the season, 12 of the junior circuit's 14 teams are within three games in either direction of .500.
Heading into Tuesday's action only the Boston Red Sox, who lead the pack at 12-6, and the Kansas City Royals, who lag behind everyone at 6-13, have distanced themselves from the pack.
Don't mistake the American League for the NFL, though; parity won't reign for long. The true reason the AL is so tightly packed is that many of the league's most talented teams have been plagued by injuries. Not only have the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of the United States of America limped out of the gate, but weaker opponents have benefited against them.
Toronto has played nine games against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles and emerged only 4-5. Although the Jays took care of business in the early going, taking two-of-three from Tampa and Kansas City, Baltimore swept them in convincing fashion this weekend.
Things are not looking any brighter for Toronto, either. Lefty closer B.J. Ryan, who strained a ligament in his throwing elbow April 14, was recently moved from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Without their $9 million-a-year closer, the Blue Jays will rely on Jason Frasor in the ninth inning. While Troy Glaus, who has been out the last two weeks, will give Toronto an offensive boost when he returns to the lineup soon, the Jays' patchwork bullpen might be their undoing in the first half.
The bullpen has also been a problem in the Bronx, although the Yankees' late-inning woes are nothing compared to their horrendous starting rotation. Their only healthy starters are Andy Pettitte and Kei Igawa - Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano have all been on the shelf - and the Bronx Bombers have been largely unable to rely upon fill-ins Darrell Rasner, Chase Wright and Jeff Karstens.
The end might be in sight for New York, however, as Wang made his first start of the season last night, and Mussina is scheduled to return to the club by the end of the month. On the offensive side, Hideki Matsui was in the lineup Monday for the first time since Apr. 7, and the normally-durable Johnny Damon and Jorge Posada, who were limited by bumps and bruises last weekend in Boston, seem to be ready to go once again.
The Yankees might have squandered a golden opportunity to get off to a fast April start, however, having lost four-of-six contests through Monday against AL East doormats Tampa Bay and Baltimore, not to mention the sweep in Boston.
Out West, the Angels, who were heavily favored to run away with the division, have also been hampered by injuries out of the gate, but they appear to be recovering from the slow start.
After a stretch in which it lost eight-of-nine, Los Angeles bounced back this weekend with a sweep of Seattle that featured Bartolo Colon picking up a victory in his first start of the season. Right-handed phenom Jered Weaver also returned to the Angels' rotation on Monday and, although the Detroit Tigers roughed him up, will provide added stability. And Kelvim Escobar made his first start of the season for L.A. last night.
The Angels' lineup will also get a boost in the next week or so, as Chone Figgins is set to make his season debut. Figgins' return will more than fill the void left by Howie Kendrick, who sustained a broken left middle finger last week and could be out until June.
The Red Sox have been the class of the AL in the early going, but with the Yankees and Angels getting healthy, expect them to have some company by the end of May. In the same division with Boston and New York, the Blue Jays have such a small margin for error, so it looks like their slow start might have already cost them a chance to contend in 2007.
