AL Mid-Season Report
The Red Sox were actually in first place for most of the season, staying a few games ahead of Oakland, until they hit a rough patch in June where they went 10-14 while the A's lost only 4 games in June and are currently riding a 16-game winning streak. That will change the standings in a hurry! The A's are first in offense, defense and overall pitching again this season, although their bullpen ranks just 5th in the league. I mean, just look at this team:
The Red Sox rank second in pitching and offense, although their defense ranks just 5th.
Tris Speaker (.361, 17 HR, 48 RBI) and
Gavvy Cravath (.285, 37 HR, 73 RBI) are again having superb seasons at the plate while the pitching rotation is led by the trio of
Joe Wood (12-4, 2.25 ERA),
Elmer Steele (8-2, 2.14 ERA) and
Fred Anderson (11-4, 2.87 ERA). Meanwhile,
Nick Altrock (3-0, 21 Sv, 2.51 ERA) is one of the top closers in the league while
Ray Collins (2-1, 3 Sv, 1.99 ERA), who was demoted to the bullpen halfway through last season as a rookie, may get the call to return to the rotation soon.
Detroit ranks 3rd in offense, but their pitching transformation has not panned out. Instead, their starting rotation ranks last in the league, their bullpen ranks 6th and the defense isn't helping matters with a 7th place ranking. The Yankees pitching staff is doing much better than Detroit's, ranking 3rd overall and highlighted by the top bullpen in the league. Their offense ranks 5th, which may be enough to help them surpass Detroit in the standings.
Hippo Vaughn (10-5, 2.78 ERA) leads the New York rotation.
The Orioles are having fun this season. They have remained solidly in 5th place for the past two months while their offense has ranked 4th in the league - a big step up for this team. The revamped bullpen ranks 2nd and the team is even playing good defense. All of that is masking the fact that their starting rotation ranks 7th and needs an overhaul of its own.
Minnesota's
Walter Johnson (5-6, 2.28 ERA) and
Bob Groom (6-3, 2.21 ERA) are both among the five best ERA's in the AL this season, but they are a combined 11-9 thanks to a 7th ranked Twins offense. They even have the worst bullpen in the league, which could be enough to help the young White Sox leapfrog them, sending the Twins to the cellar for the first time in team history.
Standings
Batting Leaders
Pitching Leaders
