Top Teams in the Eastern American League
New York Yankees (56-32)
The New York Yankees might have the best record in baseball, and are on pace to win 100 games, but regular season wins is not the ultimate goal for this prolific franchise.
Success for them is measured in championships and they will be looking to win one for their beloved principal owner George M. Steinbrenner, who died on Tuesday at the age of 80.
This loss will have an immense impact on the ball club, but will not slow down this train. Look for the Yankees to come out on fire and dedicate the rest of the season to Steinbrenner. This means that the Yankees will be playing with an even bigger chip on their shoulder and will not settle for mediocrity.
Look for NY to rely on their starting pitching, the key for their success in the first half of the season. New York boasts three All-Stars in Phil Hughes, Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia. It is worth noting that all posted double-digit win totals in the first half 0f the 2010 season.
Alex Rodriguez is also making headlines after he cranked his 597th career home run on Tuesday off the Athletics' Trevor Cahill in a 6-1 Yankees win. The pressure is on as the entire world watches Rodriguez continue to move closer to becoming the seventh player in Major League history to reach the 600-home run plateau.
"I will embrace it. You look at 600, and it's hard to ignore it because you see it up on the scoreboard, you hear fans talk about it, and you guys ask me about every home run I hit," Rodriguez said. "But 600 is not the end of the season, and it's not the end of my career. I'm going to use it kind of like first base: You want to go right through it and really just use it as a springboard for good things to come."
Tampa Bay Rays (54-34)
The shining beacon of the Tampa Bay Rays has been their dominant push to start the season. The Ray’s were playing with such a high level of confidence that they could do no wrong.
They went 17-6 in April and by late May, the Rays were 32-12 with a six-game lead on the Yankees.
Alas, the Rays have not played up to their potential, especially during an 11-14 stretch in June. Now the team has seen its lead over the Yankees disappear with each sloppy performance. The defending World Champion Yankees ascended to the top of the AL East.
Carl Crawford continues to be the team’s spark plug and is having his best season ever. He is hitting .321 with 11 homers, 50 RBIs and 70 runs.
Here is a team with plenty of upside throughout the roster. They just need to pull themselves together and get back to their winning ways.
Boston Red Sox (51-37)
They got to the All-Star break and used this short, yet valuable time to heal up a few bumps and bruises. With the Red Sox right in the thick of postseason contention, staying healthy will be the key for the Red Sox down the line.
"We have a really good team," said Dustin Pedroia. "We have one of the best teams in baseball. If we can play well enough and get healthy, we have a chance to win a championship. Hopefully that happens."
David Ortiz has already shown that he can single-handedly win games when he plays to his ability. The six-time All-Star will have to lead by example if the injury bug continues to haunt this ball club.
The Red Sox organization and all those who fill up Fenway Park are hoping that their team can overcome this hurdle and continue to be a dominating force in Major League Baseball, as shown in previous years.
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