Hello, baseball fans! My name is Jessica Marie, a born and bred New Yorker. And yes a Yankees fan. Back in 1995, my love for the game of baseball started. It’s not about scoreboard watching for me, it’s about watching good players play.

Each week, I will sum up what each American League East team has done over the past weekend and any keys that fans should keep an eye on. I hope you enjoy it and look forward to watching the games as much as I do. 

New York

Just a really bad week for the Yankees going 2-5 against the Rays and Red Sox. Michael King pitched an immaculate inning in Game 1 against the Red Sox but it wasn’t enough to keep them from scoring 5 runs in the game. Aaron Judge hit his 14th home run during the series.  Jameson Taillon was cruising through 5 innings until the 6th when he ran into trouble while Miguel Andujar reminded people that he is a third baseman playing left field with a misplay that didn’t help on Saturday’s loss.

After being swept by the Red Sox, the Yankees have an off day on Monday and Thursday while facing the Twins and Phillies. Keep an eye on Gerrit Cole‘s next start to be one he bounces back in after giving up five runs to the Rays last week. Although the offense is struggling, they showed a bit of life forming in Sunday’s loss. One thing the offense needs to do is hit more home runs.

Boston

The Red Sox swept the Yankees in the Bronx over the weekend after only winning one game at the stadium since 2019.  Nate Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez pitched well while Rafael Devers, Marwin Gonzalez, and Bobby Dalbec each hit a home run during the weekend. Matt Barnes had a blown save on Sunday. J.D. Martinez was out for two games with a sore wrist caused by a slide into second base in Game 1.

The Red Sox are back home and have to use a day off to make up the postponed game against the Marlins. Then they face the Astros again to try to get revenge on losing three out of four last week. The homestand ends with a 4-game set against the Blue Jays. It will be interesting to see how not having the day off will affect the bullpen use against the Astros and Jays. Their next off day will be June 17th.

Tampa

The Rays faced the Rangers over the weekend. Game one featured a 5-4 loss that was close in the 9th inning. Yandy Diaz went 2-3 with a walk during that game while Josh Fleming gave up five earned runs in seven innings. Game two was better for the Rays. Rich Hill and the bullpen shut down the Rangers’ offense.

Within the series against the Rangers, the Rays struck out about 30 times. Taylor Walls went 3-5 in the series finale that ended with a win. The Rays will face the Nationals and Orioles while at home. With two days off this week, the starters will be getting extra rest. Tyler Glasnow will face the  Nationals on Tuesday. Keep an eye on Randy Arozarena trying to produce in big situations. Manager Kevin Cash mentioned he is trying to do too much and it is affecting his at-bats.

Baltimore

The Indians were in town to face the Orioles over the weekend. John Means has been placed on the Injured List with a left shoulder strain after pitching 0.2 innings on Saturday. Yesterday’s game had the Orioles with 21 hits and scored 18 runs.

Trey Mancini didn’t join the hit party on Sunday.  The Orioles play a quick two-game set at home against the Mets. Matt Harvey is supposed to pitch the first game of the quick series. The Orioles then have a 7-game road trip beginning in Tampa Bay.

Toronto

Officially having their home games in Buffalo for the rest of the season, Hyun Jin Ryu gave up 7 runs (6 earned) in 5.2 innings against the Astros in the first game over the weekend. They ended up losing 13-1 against Zack Greinke who pitched a complete game. Vlad Guerrero Jr hit his 18th home run off of Jose Urquidy on Saturday. Earlier, George Springer was out doing drills in Buffalo as he works towards joining the team again. Sunday’s game ended with a loss. The Jays head to Chicago to play the White Sox then head to Boston for four games. This week can have them gain ground in third place while keeping the Yankees in fourth.

Let Spin

The AL East standings should be interesting at the end of this week. The Yankees need to start playing better while the Red Sox and Rays can gain more ground in their spots. The Jays aren’t far behind but still have a lot of work to do. The Orioles, at this point, will be spoilers and will play an important role in the standings. Voting for the 2021 All-Star Game has started. Don’t forget that you can vote up to five times a day for who you want to see play in Colorado in July. The AL East has some good contenders that can represent the American League.

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