A.L. East: A Different Difference?
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by user Xinoph
This year the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry has changed not only its cast of characters, with people continuing to switch from one team to the other, but the nature of the rivalry, with a surprising new element coming to the forefront.
In years past the two teams have focused on offense and pitching in both the offseason and regular season, with high-profile acquisitions like Johnny Damon, Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez, Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield, and Josh Beckett taking center stage in fan imagination, media reports, and the mind of Peter Gammons. These players have often made the difference between winning the pennant and flying home in shame, being bounced from the playoffs and making it to the World Series.
This year things are different - thus far, anyway. The two teams are remarkably close in offense, with New York being number four in the majors and Boston sitting at number seven. With the increasing success of recent Boston additions like Mark Loretta and Mike Lowell, and with the Yankees facing mounting injuries, this gap is likely to narrow over the coming weeks.
The difference in pitching is greater, with the Yankees sitting at number seven in the majors and Boston at number seventeen. The Red Sox thus far have been dragged down by the slow start of Tim Wakefield and the performances of Matt Clement and Lenny DiNardo (or whomever is filling that number five spot this week). But, with J.T. Snow asking for a trade, the Sox might be able to arrange a bundle deal for a decent bottom-of-the-rotation man, and a decent David Wells should boost that team ERA. Given Well's performance just last year in Boston, a good performance is not unreasonable if he's healthy. Right now the trade of Bronson Arroyo isn't looking so smart. But, the Yankees have faced injuries to their pitching staff, as well, and Randy Johnson is looking older with each passing day. Pressure is mounting on both teams to trade for a starter, but unless a big deal goes through, the pitching gap is likely to narrow as well.
What, then, might make the difference in the A.L. East this year? A surprising answer for Boston and New York fans: Defense.
Boston's remade infield has shown its ability there, leading the team to the best defensive ranking in the majors. Meanwhile, New York has sunk to the worst in the American League (and the sixth-worst in the majors). While this can be blamed partly on injuries, Melky Cabrera isn't the only problem the Yankees have on defense. Alex Rodriguez is struggling at third, leading the team in errors, but it's not all his fault. Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi, and Robinson Cano each have four errors. Indeed, the oft-maligned Cabrera only has one. Meanwhile, the most any player in Boston has is three, backup shortstop Alex Cora and third baseman Mike Lowell.
While it's certainly too early in the season to draw any definite conclusions - we'll have to watch over the next month to see what impact the Yankees' injuries have, whether Wells bounces back, and if either team makes a deal, amongst other factors - the season thus far seems to point towards defensive ability being the biggest difference between the top two teams in the A.L. East. This is certainly a change for an American League division that has seen fans thrilled by home runs and dominant pitching performances in the past. This year, if both these teams make it to the ALCS, don't be surprised if at least one game - perhaps even the series - comes down to somebody's defensive mistake.
Date
Tue 05/23/06, 7:13 am EST
