If the first two weeks of the season mean anything then the battle for the American League East will be as intense as any race in years. To this point there is a two game difference between first and last place with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays tied at the top with 7-6 record’s.

Its more than a little bit of a shock that the Blue Jays are on top when you consider that they had only scored 41 runs in 12 games before Sunday’s 11 run explosion against Baltimore.

In fact, only three everyday players are batting above .235 on the young season.  Most of their big bats have struggled the most this year with Jose Bautista hitting .225, Edwin Encarnacion .220, Colby Rasmus batting .217 and Brett Lawrie hitting .122.

If it wasn’t for a great start from the pitching staff the Blue Jays would definitely be in a huge hole.

Mark Buehrle has been the catalyst to Toronto’s success.  Buehrle is 3-0 in his three starts this season and has allowed just two runs in 21 innings.  If he can get consistent help from the rest of the staff and the bats wake up like they did on Sunday then the Blue Jays have enough talent to finally make a push for an elusive playoff spot.