Kei is not Japanese for "quality start" - we have learned that much in two years...

With all that is going on in the American League, it was difficult to decide which teams to showcase without writing something about every team. I have selected a few teams that I think are the most noteworthy, focusing on the players who are having an impact, could have an impact, or did not have an impact on the week that was.

I cannot start an A.L. Grumblings article without leading off with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tampa Bay Rays

Only percentage points out of first place, the Tampa Bay Rays have jumped into the mix of the power rankings. MLB.com featured the Rays as third on their power rankings list this week. The Rays are getting help from some unlikely sources, such as Johnny Gomes, their part-time designated hitter, who has stolen bases five bases, and a refurbished Eric Hinske (7 HR, 19 RBI, 17 R, 3 SB).

The pitching continues to astonish major league hitters in the month of May as Edwin Jackson has struck out 12 batters in twelve innings, rendering only one earned run (0.73 ERA). Scott Kazmir has done his part, going six strong innings, not surrendering a run, and striking out three in his first game back from the disabled list. Lastly, we look at two pitchers that are obviously going to play a big part in the teams’ future, James Shields (2.45 ERA, 6 SO, 7.1 INN) and Andy Sonnastine (1-0, 1.13 ERA, 4 SO, 0 BB, 8 INN). With a little more seasoning, these two young pitchers, along with Scott Kazmir, could make this team viable for many years to come.

Boston Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury was stunned…heck, we all were! Ellsbury, who was 25-for-25 in stolen base attempts for his career in the majors, was picked off this past weekend. As he dusted himself off, he looked as if he did not know what to do.

David “Big Papi” Ortiz is starting to warm up and shed off some of the rust due to his off-season knee injury. Ortiz, who knocked in three home runs, nine runs batted in, seven runs, and batted .304 this past week has finally started to look like the player we have all come to know and love and that makes many American League pitchers and team managers nervous.

Daisuke Matsuzaka has thrown another gem, this time going seven innings without surrendering a run, striking out seven and walking two. With a 7-0 record, an earned run average of 2.15 and 46 strikeouts, the fans of Bean Town are thinking about another ring, not to mention the potential for more in years to come.

With Clay Buchholz on the disabled list, the Red Sox have called up Bartolo Colon. There is no doubt that this is a shot in the dark, but at a league minimum, this is by no means a “Matt Clement”-type decision. Unfortunately, it appears that Colon still holds the weight he has always, so an injury is as good as a quality start.

Texas Rangers

I can guarantee that many Rangers’ fans see what Edinson Volquez is doing in Cincinnati and are upset but they need only look at the product they have received in return. Outfielder Josh Hamilton, to date, has hit 10 home runs, knocked in 49 runners and crossed the plate himself 27 times. With a batting average of .318 and 17 walks to only 24 strikeouts, there is no reason that each team not only got what they were looking for, but also walked away from the deal with a quality player.

Ian Kinsler, still healthy and in the line-up, is doing his part to add to the offensive output of the Rangers. Kinsler, batting .302, has stolen 13 bases, and chipped in with 24 runs and 20 runs batted in of his own.

The real question is whether the pitchers can continue to battle the way that they have or if they are going to fall flat come June and July as this organization has done historically. Vicente Padilla has been the most consistent of the starters, posting a 6-2 record with a 3.16 earned run average and striking out 41 batters along the way. No one is sold on Sidney Ponson (2-0, 3.52 ERA) and his most recent rise to newsworthy status that does not involve law enforcement. Kevin Millwood, battling with age and injury, had a stellar first few starts but has hunkered down back into mid-season mediocrity and Jason Jennings, who has the golden sombrero (0-5) in six starts has continued his career of halving the number of wins he had in the previous season.

New York Yankees

Can you be more humiliated than giving up 11 runs to a team that cannot currently hit their way out of a paper bag? Well, that is exactly what the Bronx Bombers did and all the while, Hank “little” Steinbrenner, giving them grief along the way. With their pitching projects nose-diving (Phillip Hughes, 0-4, 9.00 ERA and Ian Kennedy, 0-3, 8.48 ERA, and Kei Igawa, 0-1, 18.00 ERA), the team has hit the bottom of the American League East.

Maybe Jason Giambi should keep his own underwear to himself and focus on becoming the player the team purchased several years ago, rather than spreading around undergarments to break streaks (See SI’s The Thong Show)

The good news is that Alex Rodriguez is on pace to return Tuesday, taking some of the stress off the teams’ losing streak. With Hideki Matsui heating up, the return of A-Rod, the streaky Robinson Cano starting to actually make some noise at the plate, the rise of another young, talented pitcher Darrell Rasner (2-0, 3.00 ERA), and the lucky thong, this would be a great and fitting time for the Yankees to begin their surge back atop the American League East.

Seattle Mariners

There are two ways that you know there is trouble in the bullpens around the major leagues. One, Jarrod Washburn has become a closer, and two, other teams are interested in trading for him as a relief pitcher. Washburn, a career 95-91 pitcher with an earned run average of 4.11 is actually being sought after for a contract. With $10M due him for this season and the next, Seattle is clearly “all ears”.

The Jeff Clement experiment is officially over…for now. Batting just .167 in limited action, the future backstop for the organization has been sent back down to the minors for more seasoning. The statements that I have read seem to allude to the “pressure” of the big leagues being too much.

I do not see how two teams that were considered playoff hopefuls who have fallen flat on their faces can actually use this weekend’s series as a “spring board” to better things. The Padres and Mariners share the fact that many prognosticators predicted their season to be fruitful. They have very much missed that mark entirely; yet, the Seattle press is going “gaga” over the weekend series with the Padres. I guess, when you actually get consecutive wins, there is always a glimmer of hope. Just because your uniform is blue, does not mean you should hold your breath and match it.