AL East

Maybe the Red Sox' nightmarish opening series with the Texas Rangers will quickly erase the fantasies of some overly optimistic fans about the team winning 100 games or more in 2011. The Rangers not only swept the Red Sox, but pulverized the much-heralded Sox starting pitchers. The Rangers got 34 hits, including 21 extra base hits and 11 home runs in the three-game sweep. The Rangers outscored the Red Sox 26-11 over the series.

It was a fantastic start to the season for the Toronto Blue Jays, and it could have been even better. The Jays started off their season with a three game series against the Minnesota Twins. The Twins won the American League Central last year and had the third most wins in the AL after the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees. 

The Twins are known for both their strong pitching and their consistent defensive play, but the Jays put both of those to the test with an offensive barrage in the first two games.

Brian Cashman, who is the New York Yankees' Senior Vice President and General Manager, should examine his own actions before criticizing the management of New York's most beloved team, the New York Mets.

Cashman signed Pedro Feliciano, a journeyman left-handed relief pitcher, to an $8 million, two-year contract in January with an option for 2013. Now, more than two months later, Feliciano has a sore arm which has put him on the disabled list.

Phil Hughes Final Line: 4IP, 5H,  5R, 5ER, 2BB, 1K .333 GB/FB ratio

The Boston Red Sox became the darling pick to win the 2011 World Series after acquiring slugger Adrian Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres in December.  They later snagged Carl Crawford away from divisional foe Tampa Bay, giving the Sox what looked to be one of the most formidable lineups in the league.

Instead, maybe they should have been in search of pitching.

On December 16, 2009, the Toronto Blue Jays traded away their ace, Roy Halladay, to the Philadelphia Phillies for $6 million and three prospects: pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud and outfield prospect Michael Taylor, who was immediately traded to the Oakland Athletics for Brett Wallace, now the starting first baseman for the Houston Astros.

Opening Day in Major League Baseball marks the start of new life. 

Winter is turning into spring, "cold" is changing to "warm", and baseball is coming out of hibernation.

The early stages of the season can tell us a lot about a team: strengths, weaknesses and if they have the potential to make a run at the postseason.

Game No. 1 of 162 has been played for each team, and we take a look at what we learned about each team on Opening Weekend 2011. 

According to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, Baltimore Orioles starter Brian Matusz will miss 3-6 weeks with a strained intercostal muscle.

Zack Britton will take Matusz’s spot in the rotation, making his major league debut on Sunday against the Rays.

We may only be three days removed from Opening Day, but there have been plenty of surprises in the AL East to begin the 2011 MLB season. 

The Red Sox are already two games behind the Yankees, and there are only 160 games to go! Believe it or not, some fans out there are already in panic mode, while others have taken strong showings as a sign their respective teams might be instant contenders. 

The Boston Red Sox won the offseason, adding Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler to a team that was already capable of making a playoff run.

On Opening Day in Arlington, facing the defending American League champion Texas Rangers, all the attention was on the new faces in the lineup and bullpen. However, after falling to a 9-5 defeat, the blame fell squarely on two players who have been in Boston for years: Jon Lester and Daniel Bard.