AL East

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Jake Arrieta has thrown just one good game over the course of the last month and a week.

Considering that Arrieta was the Orioles' Opening Day starter, and that the young man was supposed to step up and take on the role of being the club's ace this year, that's pretty pathetic.

Remember back in May when Josh Beckett was embroiled in a PR snafu that involved an ill-timed golf outing?

He was supposed to be resting a sore lat muscle but hit the links instead. The worst part about it was that he missed a start.

We're through the first week of June, and even though the Boston Red Sox still sit in the bottom of the tight AL East, they've made a lot of progress since their slow start to open the season.

Their pitching is much improved and the replacements for many of the injured Boston stars have played surprisingly well.

To say that the Red Sox have no chance to make the playoffs at this point in the year is asinine. There’s even a relatively good chance that they go into the All-Star break with a lead in the AL East.

Last month, I decided to begin a series that would follow the Toronto Blue Jays' top prospects on their journey through the 2012 professional baseball season.

Since it's about two months into the minor league season, it's time to take our second look at how each of the Blue Jays' top youngsters are faring in the minors.

While the baseball card industry has seen its share of ups and downs since the days of overproduction, the same has been kind to the New York Yankees.

For a big-market team with a rich history and tradition of victory, cardboard boasting ballplayers donned in pinstripes can fetch a pretty penny.   

In this slideshow, I will highlight seven rookie cards of active Yankees players that fans and collectors should invest in now before prices skyrocket.

The Boston Red Sox carried last year’s horrendous momentum into the first month of 2012. The team was struggling for the most part due to their pitching and untimely hitting, and new manager Bobby Valentine was receiving most of the blame.

As of late, the Red Sox have been playing up to their potential. The team has started to put things together especially on the offensive end, but are still just a game over .500.

If you haven't noticed lately, Andy Pettitte is becoming a strikeout pitcher for the New York Yankees. That's strange because on the cusp of turning 40, it's the first time in the Yankee legend's career he's been known for such a distinction.

Sure, the non-waiver trade deadline is just about two months away. That doesn't mean the Boston Red Sox are not kicking the tires on some starting pitchers.

Their competition is, that's for sure.

The American League East division is a rat race right now. Only three games separate the first place Tampa Bay Rays and fifth place Boston Red Sox. Every team has their own respective strengths. (Interestingly enough, all are different.) 

Heading into the series with the Rays, it was important for the Yankees to show they can hang with them because chances are, the Rays are going to be a potential playoff contender come October.

Andy Pettitte pitched on Tuesday night for the Yankees like he was in October form.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been rumored by CBS Sports to be very interested in acquiring Kevin Youkilis.