Breaking down the race for the AL East title
The Lineups
All three of these teams have fearsome offenses. The Red Sox have the league’s best batting average. The Orioles lead the world in home runs. The Jays also boast fearsome power hitters who know how to work an at-bat.
14. All three teams at the top of the AL East have had inconsistent offenses in the second half. The Red Sox, however, have tailed off the least. Mookie Betts has picked up some of the slack as David Ortiz slows down, and has made himself into a real MVP candidate. Dustin Pedroia has also been very good at the top of the order. The problem spots for the Red Sox have been in the lower half of the order, as Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley, Jr, and Travis Shaw have slumped. When the top of the order is firing on all cylinders, the Red Sox are the strongest offense of the bunch.. . . Boston Red Sox. 1. team
Baltimore Orioles. 2. team. 11. The Orioles specialize in one thing: hitting balls over the fence. Last week they hit four home runs against the Houston Astros before recording a single out (they would somehow go on and lose that game 15-8 thanks to abysmal starting pitching). The problem for the Orioles is that they can go ice cold at times. The performance of this offense hinges on the big boppers in the middle, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo. When those two are hot, it becomes almost impossible to pitch to anyone else in the lineup. When they’re cold, the strikeouts and weak popups pile up.. .
39. The Jays’ and Orioles’ offenses are not separated by much. The Orioles have a bit more power, while the Jays are better at drawing walks. For Toronto, much of the offensive output over the season’s final month will hinge on how healthy Jose Bautista is. He has only played in 16 games since the break, and is batting below .200. Josh Donaldson, the reigning MVP, could also stand to get it going a bit in September.. . . Toronto Blue Jays. 3. team
Next: The Rotations