And away we go!

Major League Baseball Opening Day 2011 has now come and gone, so now it is time to discuss what we have seen thus far. There is some head scratching going on, but let us remember – it’s a very long season.

The Orioles are in first place, and like I said in one of my previous posts, the Orioles will be for real this season. Will they end up in first place of the incredibly competitive AL East? I wouldn’t go that far just yet.

The Red Sox are 0-3 (and also in last place in the AL East with the Rays)! Don’t worry Red Sox nation, the season is still very young, but the showing the team made the past week was pretty embarrassing. Their pitching is not doing its thing and that can be very worrisome when they are in a division that annually provides the Wild Card for the playoffs. No need to fret just yet though, the Sox had quite a few three game losing streaks in both 2004, and 2007, and remember what happened those years. The Sox need to stop giving up the long ball or they’ll never compete for the division or even the Wild Card. Their top three starters gave up 11 home runs in the series against the Texas Rangers.

The Yankees are hitting the ball very well. It’s good news that Teixeira has decided to hit the ball early instead of waiting a couple of months as per his usual self.  He has hit a home run in each of the first three games this season. Granderson is obviously healthy, and also providing some power for the Yanks, as well as some defense. I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes one of the team’s top hitters this year. Mariano still has it, compiling two saves in just three games. The combination of Soriano and Rivera is making Cashman look like a genius, although his comments about the Mets and Pedro Feliciano are less than desired.

I haven’t watched too much of the Blue Jays games, but their pitching seems spot on (for now) and it looks like Jose Bautista’s breakout from last season may actually continue. Right now they have the same record as the Yanks, but I really still don’t see them competing later on in the season when it really matters.

The Rays are playing just like I expected. Terrible. They have no offense left, and understandably so. The loss of Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena will really hurt them. I’m sorry, but Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez are just too old to be as effective as the tow former players I just named. Their lack of offense is quite obvious, scoring only three runs total in the first three games. Keep this up Rays and you’ll have a very long season in the basement of the AL East.

I follow the AL East pretty closely, mostly because I’m a Yankees fan, but below are some thoughts I have about other teams through the first few days of Major League Baseball in 2011.

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The Royals are in first place. Enjoy it while it lasts, which probably won’t be for too much longer. Billy Butler seems to be producing at this point for them.

The White Sox have a hurt pitcher on their hands again with Jake Peavy, although his last pitching session went pretty well, apparently.

The Indians catching sensation – Carlos Santana, turned a triple play against the White Sox, all while playing first base.

It looks like Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera has put his drunken winter woes behind him, slugging two home runs yesterday against the Yanks and batting over 380 for his first series.

The Twins can only hope that Morneau stays healthy, as well as Joe Nathan. Nathan got his first save of the year last night. He missed all of last season, so this is a good sign.

Texas is slugging like a bunch of maniacs, letting the ‘Pre-crowned 2011 AL Champ’ Red Sox know who really are the reigning AL Champions. Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz really are showing off, and they’re going to need to keep doing this without an Ace on their pitching staff.

Seattle’s own Ichiro Suzuki seems to hit the ball every single time he gets up to bat. Kudos to him for becoming the all time Mariner’s hit leader. King Felix Hernandez pitched a complete game in just his first start of the season.

Jered Weaver continues to shine for the Angels. I hope this continues even though the Angels basically spat on their ace with the arbitration hearing this past winter. Keep in mind the Angel’s won that hearing, and opted to pay Weaver less money. Star players don’t like this, and in turn, usually don’t end up staying with that team.

Philadelphia is, well, Philadelphia. They haven’t lost a game yet and Cliff Lee had 11 strikeouts in his first start. Not too much new here with these guys.

The Madoff Metro’s aka The New York Mets took the road series against the Marlins. They didn’t win a road series in 2010 until June 13. This could really mean entirely nothing, but it’s a good sign for now. K-Rod blew a save, but still went on to become the winning pitcher of the game. On the other hand R.A. Dickey is still looking good and the Mets own broadcasting network SNY was mocking their own team by referencing this clip during a broadcast:

The Marlins Javy Vazquez looked horrendous yesterday. I could’ve seen that one coming. He really should be pitching better in the NL, but I think his career is pretty  much over.

Cincinnatti is looking good sitting at 3-0, and the fact that my original NL Central pick (Cardinals) has lost their Ace, the Red’s may be back for the division again. Travis Wood could be the real deal, his numbers look pretty darn good for his brief career. Including this past start he is 6-4 with a 3.36 ERA and an 1.05WHIP.

Pittsburgh has a winning record, but that won’t be for long. McCutchen is definitely looking like the next five tool all star player, although he sat out yesterday with a sore neck. The Pirates will probably trade him like they have with all their other good outfielders (a la Jason Bay).

The Cubs Carlos Marmol blew a save already when he blew only five all of last year. Although the win was more blown by up-and-comer Shortstop Starlin Castro with a costly error. Matt Garza seemed to pitch well enough (12 K) for a win in his first start with the Cubs, for it to only be ruined by the Pirates rally off Marmol (and Starlin’s error) in the 9th.

So far, the only shining part of the Cardinals season (remember it is very early) is Jaime Garcia’s complete game shutout over the Padres. The fact that they have lost Adam Wainwright for at least the year can really hurt them. I still see Pujols’ as being a machine during his contract year.

Both the Astros and the Brewers are having closer troubles. Both Brandon Lyon and John Axford have blown a save within the first three games of the season.

Apparently Dodgers fans are the new Philadelphia fans for 2011, but worse, sending a San Francisco Giants faithful to the hospital. Not cool. All said and done, baseball is still a game, and there is no need for violence like that.

It’s no secret the Padres need some more offense. Or maybe Mat Latos can come off the DL and pitch five days in a row, every week. The loss of Adrian Gonzalez will really hurt them.

Ubaldo Jimenez and Jorge De La Rosa are both hurting for the Rockies. This is not good for them, but at least its early and they both should be just fine. How will Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki fare after such breakout years?

The Diamondbacks have Ian Kennedy, former Yankees castoff as their… Ace? Wow. In his first start he had three walks and three strikeouts and a home run. This seems pretty mediocre, if not sub-par, to me.

And finally, the reigning champions. Brian Wilson is hurt, but he will be back very soon, which will most definitely bolster their bullpen. Their prized rookie, Brandon Belt, has already produced for them smacking a hit and walking once against the Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.

So there you have it. Yes, the season is still very young (as all my buddies keep reminding me when I tell them the Yankees will go 161-1). Anything can happen, as I’m sure I don’t need to remind any of you. One major trade, or a big injury, or a blown call by an umpire can drastically change things. Just like I said before Luis Castillo dropped that ball last year against the Yankees, it’s never over until it is actually over. It sounds pretty dumb, but it is definitely true with our American pastime.

Thoughts and comments are welcome and appreciated!