Is Alexei Ramirez the new starter at second?

American League East

Baltimore Orioles

Outfielder Nick Markakis is finally settling into the leader of the middle of the batting order. After a slow start in which some people questioned his power and ability to drive in runs, he has caught up to pace rather nicely. He now has six home runs; his 14 runs batted in are a little low for this point in the season, but more opportunities will come when the team finds a productive No. 2 hitter.

Boston Red Sox

Middle reliever Hideki Okajima is performing much the same way he did last year in his debut season. So far this year he has allowed only one earned run in 12.2 innings pitched. He had some trouble adjusting to the longer season last year since the Japanese season is not six months long as it is stateside. Look for manager Terry Francona to rest Okajima whenever he can, provided Mike Timlin comes back healthy and with a full recovery.

New York Yankees

This was the perfect time for outfielder Hideki Matsui to have a surge in the batters box. Entering Tuesday night he had a 14-game hitting streak, and his batting average was up to a team-high .324. The team will need him to continue to swing a hot bat as Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada recover from injuries.

Tampa Bay Rays

Staff ace Scott Kazmir made his first start of the season on Sunday and pitched four unremarkable innings. The team will need him to come back strong and pitch a solid 160-170 innings for the remainder of the year. Though they have solid young pitchers in James Shields and Andy Sonnanstine, Kazmir will be counted on to the be stopper and strike out at least a batter per inning. No one else on the staff is capable of doing that.

Toronto Blue Jays

Dustin McGowan threw a gem on Monday night as the Jays defeated the Chicago White Sox by the score of 1-0. He tossed 7.1 innings and allowed just four hits while striking out six batters. He did not issue a free pass as he lowered his earned run average to 2.95. If Toronto is to creep out of the division cellar they will need McGowan to keep this up for much of the year. He has the ability to do just that.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox

Versatile Alexei Ramirez looks like the next player to be given a shot at the second base job. He has filled in at a few different infield and outfield positions, but the spotty play of Juan Uribe and Pablo Ozuna may be just the break he needs. Uribe and Ozuna have a combined two home runs and 11 runs batted in, and neither is hitting above .200. Ramirez should keep the job until Danny Richar is back from injury.

Cleveland Indians

The team has designated outfielder Jason Michaels for assignment and called up outfielder Ben Francisco. The team may have just wanted to send a message to a team that simply was not hitting, but Michaels was just batting .207 in 58 at-bats. Look for Francisco to fill a platoon left field role now that he has rejoined the team.

Detroit Tigers

Jacque Jones was designated for assignment on Monday after he hit just .165 in April. Youngster Matt Joyce was called up to take his spot on the active roster and was immediately slotted into the No. 7 spot in the batting order. He hit one of the hardest balls of the night, a line out to right field and is clearly not afraid to swing the bat.

Kansas City Royals

Miguel Olivo leads the team in home runs, and he is the backup catcher. That is how much this team is struggling to drive in runs. Only four other players on the roster have tallied more than one long ball, and they have a major league-low 16 home runs as a team. They will need a bit of a power surge from Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, and Jose Guillen over the next month or so in order to stay in the mix for the division lead.

Minnesota Twins

Joe Nathan continues to be one of the top closers in the league. He has gotten off to a fast start this season, as he does every year. Thus far he has collected 11 saves while posting a 0.69 earned run average over 13 innings. You can make the argument that he is a notch below Jonathan Papelbon and Mariano Rivera in the American League closer rankings, but you can also make a strong case that he is at the top of the list.

American League West

Los Angeles Angels

Second baseman Howie Kendrick will be recalled this week after his short minor league rehabilitation stint. Out for a couple weeks with a left hamstring strain, Kendrick will bring his .500 back to an Angel lineup that is in need of a little gap power. He spreads the ball around rather well for a young player, and he makes solid contact during most at-bats. He has struck out just once in 36 at-bats this year.

Oakland Athletics

Designated hitter Mike Sweeney has a 25-point lead in batting average over the next highest player on the team. His .311 average is clearly leading a team of middle-of-the-road hitters. Though his playing timed will be sapped a bit with the acquisition of fellow designated hitter Frank Thomas, expect Sweeney to get his chances if his bat remains hot.

Seattle Mariners

Érik Bédard is posting the solid numbers the team expected when it traded for him this past off-season. After experiencing some hip discomfort that caused him to miss some time, Bédard has rebounded nicely. He has a 2-1 record and has allowed just 14 hits in 24.2 innings. This is remarkable, but the 13 walks he has issued are not. Look for him to correct that ineffectiveness to post very solid numbers across the board.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers have been swept four times this year. They have actually won three consecutive series, but when they lose they lose bad and it seems to be contagious. They are tied for the worst record in the league with division rival Seattle, and clearly their solid hitting is not keeping them in games. This team may need to score seven runs per game to stay in contention with this pitching staff. Through Monday the team earned run average was a robust 5.13.