The first month of the 2013 MLB season ends on Tuesday. While it's still early in the schedule and struggling teams still have plenty of time to shake off bad starts, 25 games or so can begin to form an impression.
For a handful of teams, the first impression has been a bad one, leading to questions as to whether a recovery is possible. For others that have been slight disappointments, expectations — even championship ones — can still be fulfilled. But there are very real concerns that need to be addressed or bad April starts could linger later into the season.
Early-season breakouts can fade and the best of the best will still emerge as the season progresses. But these five MLB teams should be worried in light of how they've played so far through April.
Washington Nationals: Sure, we're only one month into the 2013 season, but no one imagined the Nats would have a .500 record and sit 3.5 games out of first place in the NL East at this point.
The Atlanta Braves were projected to be a strong competitor for the division title, and they've arguably played above expectations. But the Nationals have to look at themselves to figure out why they're off to a disappointing start.
Though Bryce Harper is playing like an early-season MVP candidate, he's not getting much help through the rest of the lineup. Adam LaRoche is batting .143 with a .496 OPS, far below the .964 OPS he posted last April. Ryan Zimmerman is on the disabled list and was having major issues throwing the ball from third base.
But the Nats should be most worried about Stephen Strasburg, who's allowed 33 hits and 12 walks in 37.1 innings while compiling a 1-4 record. Even more of a concern is that Strasburg felt forearm tightness in his right arm during Monday's start against the Braves. That might explain his control issues, but could also hint toward a more serious injury. The Nats are understandably approaching this with caution.
Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays were the champions of the offseason after making blockbuster trades for Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey.
Yet Dickey has had a rough transition to the American League, giving up 32 hits and 15 walks in 36 innings, resulting in a 2-4 record and 4.50 ERA. Johnson has a 6.86 ERA after his first four starts, while Buehrle is carrying a 6.35 ERA. Perhaps worst of all, Reyes is out until the All-Star break with a sprained ankle.
No one in the Blue Jays' regular lineup is hitting higher than .250. That includes Jose Bautista, who has seven home runs and an .801 OPS, but a .192 batting average. Edwin Encarnacion also has seven homers, but batting just .227.
With the Boston Red Sox off to a surprising 18-7 start, the New York Yankees playing better than expected despite all their injuries, and the Baltimore Orioles also playing well, Toronto has dug a deep hole for itself already. The Blue Jays are 9.5 games out of first in the AL East, making it difficult to envision them coming back to challenge for a division title or wild-card playoff spot.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Perhaps no MLB team had higher expectations coming into the season than the Dodgers, whose ownership opened the vault for players like Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to assemble a West Coast superpower.
Gonzalez and Crawford have hit well in April, which is encouraging for the Dodgers. But the man that makes their lineup go is Matt Kemp, and he's struggled during the first month of the season with a .235 average, .654 OPS and only one home run. Hanley Ramirez has also been out since spring training, and the left side of the Dodgers infield sorely needs his run production.
Couple that with the injuries suffered by Greinke, Chris Capuano and Chad Billingsley, and a starting rotation that appeared to be a strength is now looking very thin. Clayton Kershaw continues to throw like the best pitcher in the National League, but he can't carry that rotation by himself.
While the Dodgers are only 3.5 games out of first place in the NL West, they're behind three teams in the division — including the surprising Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. The next week could push the Dodgers further out of the race as they face the Rockies, D-Backs and San Francisco Giants in consecutive series.
New York Yankees: Last place in the AL East seemed possible for the Yankees as they began the season without Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson in their lineup.
However, the Yankees have played surprisingly well despite all of their missing stars. Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner looked like desperation acquisitions by general manager Brian Cashman, yet both have made significant contributions to the Yanks lineup thus far. Meanwhile, Robinson Cano has been every bit the AL MVP candidate the Yankees needed to be.
The pitching was going to be what kept the Yankees in the AL East race. CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte have performed as well as expected, while Mariano Rivera and David Robertson have made sure games get locked down in the later innings.
But can the Yankees stay competitive with the Red Sox and Orioles (and let's not forget the Rays) in the AL East if injuries continue to pile up? Jeter will be out until the All-Star break after suffering another break in his left ankle. Kevin Youkilis has been battling a back injury that will probably put him on the DL. Ivan Nova is already on the DL with a triceps injury, joining Francisco Cervelli with a broken hand.
Los Angeles Angels: The Dodgers aren't the only team in Southern California buckling under heavy expectations. After adding Josh Hamilton to their lineup, the Angels were viewed as a favorite in the AL West race. Yet many of us overlooked a thin starting rotation following Jered Weaver.
With a broken elbow sidelining Weaver, the Angels' starting rotation has been exposed. No Angels starting pitcher has an ERA below 4.00. Jason Vargas is closer to 5.00 with a 4.91 ERA and Joe Blanton is lugging a 7.09 mark. Both pitchers are averaging more than 12 hits allowed per nine innings.
Perhaps the Angels could overcome that by scoring a bunch of runs, but their top hitters have provided little production in April. Josh Hamilton is flailing at the plate, resulting in a .219 average and .590 OPS. Albert Pujols is batting .244 with only two home runs. Even Mike Trout is off to a slow start, compiling a .755 OPS. He's also third on the team with 23 strikeouts.
The Angels are already seven games back in the AL West, behind a Texas Rangers team playing better than expected and an Oakland Athletics club that's continuing its success from last season. Even the Seattle Mariners, who have disappointed but are improved, are ahead of the Angels in the standings.
