AL East

The Yankees bullpen is not looking too good right now.

First, Joba Chamberlain with the dislocated ankle. Then, Mariano Rivera with the torn ACL,

Although the Boston Red Sox have won their last four games, they currently sit in last place in the AL East with a 16-19 record. Many pundits have counted them out for the season and expect they’ll finish around .500 or below.

The reality is that while the Red Sox have gotten off to a slow start this season, they will be competing for the top spot in the division well into September.

The New York Yankees may have left spring training with questions about their starting rotation, but the bullpen was considered a strength.

How many teams could afford to have Rafael Soriano, who saved 45 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, as their seventh-inning go-to guy?

Raul Ibanez has been a pleasant surprise so far for the New York Yankees.

Many fans thought Ibanez would be an automatic out entering the regular season, as his spring training left much to be desired.

Those fans couldn't have been more wrong.

After Tuesday night's two home run performance against the Rays, Ibanez now has five home runs and 16 RBI on the season.

The debate is raging all over Boston: When Kevin Youkilis returns to the Red Sox lineup in the next couple of weeks, what will the team do?

Will they move Will Middlebrooks and his .381 batting average, .409 on-base percentage and .953 slugging percentage back down to Triple-A Pawtucket?

With that, Middlebrooks should probably take his three home runs (one of which being a grand slam) and nine RBI with him, right?

After splitting a lengthy four-game series in Anaheim against the Angels, the Blue Jays will jet off to Oakland to continue their 10-game road trip (which will wrap up this weekend in Minnesota).

The Jays will head into tonight's series opener with a record of 16-13, while the A's are 15-14.

After weeks of speculation, the wait is over and Andy Pettitte will be back.

Aaron Gleeman of NBC's HardBallTalk reported that Pettitte will make his 2012 debut for the Yankees pitching at home against the Seattle Mariners.

Mariano Rivera is now on the shelf for the rest of the season with a torn ACL, and the Yankees are left with a vacancy in the closer's role for the first time in recent memory.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kyle Drabek has turned things around and is having a great 2012 season on the mound.

After struggling through 2011 for Toronto and then being demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas after going 4-5 with a 5.70 ERA in 14 starts, Drabek is a new pitcher with superior control.

Currently, the Toronto Blue Jays are holding down the second wild card spot in the American League. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels have all had rough starts and might not have the season most people thought they would. That would leave room for a few teams—like the Blue Jays—to sneak up in the standings.