Around the AL: Get to him early

There’s something to be said as a pitcher for setting a tone early by starting strong. Well, for the Detroit Tigers’ Jeremy Bonderman, that hasn’t exactly been the case. Bonderman, 24, is regarded as one of the major league’s best up-and-coming pitchers and is 5–0 this season with a 3.27 ERA. Not bad for the staff ace of a 32–24 team that’s contending for the AL Central crown.

But hidden inside that solid record and ERA are some woeful first-inning concerns. In his first 10 starts this season, Bonderman allowed 16 first-inning runs (14.40 ERA) while giving up only 11 in his 56 other innings (1.77 ERA).

Some other interesting Bonderman stats:
•    He’s put the Tigers in an early hole by allowing first-inning runs in seven of those 10 starts.

•    Only once this season, on May 29, has he given up fewer runs in the first inning (0) than in the second inning and beyond (2).

•    Assuming Bonderman didn’t give up a run in any of his 10 first innings, he’d lead the majors with a stellar 1.50 ERA.

In the end, those stats are trivial, but Bonderman is on the cusp of breaking through as an elite pitcher. One just has to wonder why it takes three outs for him to settle down.

Mariners Watch
Out West, there’s a surprising team in second place with a 28–25 record. That’s right folks, the Seattle Mariners have emerged back onto the national stage. With a relatively soft May schedule, the Mariners went 16–14 and have played themselves into the Wild Card race, only 2.5 games behind first-place Detroit.

How’re they doing it? Well, the major league’s second-ranked team batting average of .284 coupled with a major league-low 247 strikeouts (240 fewer than the league-high Florida Marlins) doesn’t hurt. And that’s even with Richie Sexson in the lineup. But what’s odd is that only two teams have a worse ERA than the Mariners’ 4.81 and only one has fewer strikeouts than the staff’s 298.

That means the answer comes down to a little of both. Timely pitching and hitting adds up to a playoff contender. But the odds still remain that if that ERA doesn’t make a significant drop, the Mariners will still be on the outside looking in come September.

Goodbye May
It was moving month in baseball with teams dropping out of the playoff hunt (Texas) and a few surprises ahead of the pack (Milwaukee). The cold weather was put in the rearview mirror as teams prepared for the dog days of summer. And after a period of moving forward, milestone watch is now in full effect.

Player of the Month: Kevin Youkilis, 1B, Boston Red Sox
Youkilis hit .402 for the surging Red Sox with 13 doubles, six home runs, 22 RBIs, 23 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. His 1.126 OPS helped the Sox to a 20–8 record in May.

Pitcher of the Month: Dan Haren, SP, Oakland Athletics
Haren started six games in May and emerged with a 3–0 record. He pitched 43 innings and allowed only 23 hits, 11 walks and eight runs for a 1.67 ERA and 0.79 WHIP. After the first two months of 2007, Haren leads the majors in ERA at 1.64.

Player of the Week: Gary Sheffield, DH, Detroit Tigers
Sheffield began the season a little slow but has since developed into the big-bopper the Tigers expected. Last week, Sheffield went 10-for-29 (.345) with 11 runs, four home runs, nine RBIs, a pair of stolen bases and a 1.234 OPS. Sheffield leads the majors in runs scored with 51. He earned this week’s award over hot-hitting Indians catcher Victor Martinez, who also belted four home runs last week.

Previous Recipients: Grady Sizemore, Jack Cust, Troy Glaus, Magglio Ordonez, Alex Rodriguez, Ian Kinsler, Vladimir Guerrero.

Pitcher of the Week: Joe Blanton, SP, Oakland Athletics
Blanton was magnificent in his only start last week. He had to be. The A’s gave Blanton only one run of support against the Twins on Saturday but he responded with nine innings of shutout ball to give Oakland a 1–0 victory. Blanton, who has struggled in recent weeks, rebounded by giving up no walks and three hits while fanning six. Jeremy Bonderman also received consideration for his two wins and 13 innings pitched.

Previous Recipients: Daisuke Matsuzana, Fausto Carmona, C.C. Sabathia, Dan Haren, Mark Buehrle, Felix Hernandez, John Lackey.

League Leaders (through June 3rd games):
Batting Average:
1.    Jorge Posada (.363)
2.    Magglio Ordonez (.362)
3.    Kevin Youkilis (.350)

Home Runs:
1.    Alex Rodriguez (20)
2.    Justin Morneau (16)
3.    Alex Rios (13)
3.    Gary Sheffield (13)
3.    Magglio Ordonez (13)

RBIs:
1.    Magglio Ordonez (52)
2.    Victor Martinez (50)
3.    Vladimir Guerrero (48)

Stolen Bases:
1.    Brian Roberts (19)
2.    Julio Lugo (17)
2.    Grady Sizemore (17)

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