E-Mail This Article to a Friend The American League at the quarter pole BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

It seems like only yesterday that we were discussing the Red Sox’ opening weekend at Yankee Stadium, the hullabaloo surrounding the ring ceremony, and the question about who would be the odd man out in Boston’s rotation. Now we’re already a quarter of the way through the MLB season, and this is what we can discern at this point.

AL East. The Orioles jumped out to a 20-9 start, and despite going only .500 in the last fortnight, the Birds still hold a two-game divisional lead heading into this week. The offense, not surprisingly, is the most potent in the majors (.291), but their supposed Achilles’ heel — their pitching — is what’s actually kept Baltimore atop the division, as its respectable 4.13 ERA is better than any of its divisional mates. Lee Mazzilli’s squad is also a majors-best 13-5 on the road; unless the team’s starting pitching returns to earth, the O’s will be a factor for the foreseeable future. Boston is in second place in the East, and it should be happy about its 25-18 record, since it’s been accrued without any meaningful contributions from Curt Schilling and David Wells (or free-agent acquisition Edgar Renteria, who’s batting just .239). It’s been newcomer Matt Clement (5-0) and Bronson Arroyo (4-0) who have anchored the rotation, but it’s still a bit worrisome that the team’s ERA is just 4.65 — 24th best in the big leagues — and the bullpen’s collective mark is over five (brought down by closer Keith Foulke’s mind-numbing 7.29). Then, of course, there’s the Yankees — who may not be in full-fledged denial mode yet (despite a pedestrian 23-21 record) after their recent 10-game win streak, but warning flags are shooting up all over the Bronx. Even with all of the upgrades implemented to the rotation, the staff ERA is still just 4.40 (19th in MLB), and the high-priced starters’ mark is 4.62. Even the offense is struggling somewhat, and the Yanks’ team average is only fourth best in the division; but their recent hot stretch (albeit against the weak sisters of the AL West) proves that their inherent talent can catch fire at any time. Still, the Pinstripers’ record against weaker links Toronto and Tampa (5-6) is a bit alarming, as is their mark against the pace-setting Orioles (1-5). Tied with the Bombers are the Jays, who have to be happy with being .500 at all in such a tough division, followed by the perennially woebegone D-Rays, who have already lost two games for every win they’ve managed this season.

AL Central. The league’s biggest surprise, hands down, is the success of the Chicago White Sox, who, at 31-13, have baseball’s best record at this point. How have they done it? With two eight-game win streaks, a 20-1 collective record compiled by their top three starters (Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, and Orlando Hernandez), the AL’s best team ERA (3.23), and a league-leading 20 saves. The White Sox don’t throw too many recognizable hitters at you on a nightly basis, but Paul Konerko has posted some big power numbers despite a minuscule average (.227), and the team is a remarkable 18-4 against its AL Central counterparts. Five games back but leading in the wild-card chase are the Twins, who are plodding merrily along on solid performances by both their offense and pitching staff. Like the White Sox, the Minnesota Twins don’t have many marquee names (and 2004 Cy Young winner Johan Santana is no longer the unbeatable force he was a year ago), but they’re doing the little things right and should remain in the hunt the rest of the way. Detroit (10 games behind the Chisox) and Cleveland (11) both expected big things this season after coming off promising seasons last year, but both have struggled offensively (particularly the Tribe, with a .242 team BA) and are practically out of the race already. KC (13-31) is on its second manager of the season but nonetheless seems destined for its second straight 100-loss campaign (and third in four years).

AL West. An interesting race again shaping up in the West, as the Angels have raced out to a 25-18 mark despite just a .246 team batting average. They’re making up their offensive deficiencies by boasting the majors’ fifth-best pitching staff (and third-best bullpen), led by Bartolo Colon (5-3) and John Lackey (4-2). Similar to last season, Texas is again making its case early to be taken seriously, and while the Rangers (a game-and-a-half back) haven’t been pounding the ball as they did last season, they’ve benefited from solid if not outstanding pitching — particularly from starters Kenny Rogers, Chris Young, and Chan-Ho Park, who’ve combined for 13 of the team’s 24 wins. Fading from view early are the pitching-poor and injury-riddled Mariners (4.58 team ERA) and A’s (4.53), who also rank near the bottom of baseball’s hitting categories as well.

Tune in Friday for the NL rundown — same bat time, same bat station.

Sporting Eye runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com, and Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com