Call to the pen
Fansided

Injury Problems and Poor Performances Shakes up the AL East

By Tyson Shushkewich

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 20: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker (34) gets assistance on the field after injuring his knee in a pick off play during the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, April 20, 2019 at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 20: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker (34) gets assistance on the field after injuring his knee in a pick off play during the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, April 20, 2019 at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Boston Red Sox woes continue
(Photo by Matt Stone/Digital First Media/Boston Herald via Getty Images) /

Boston Red Sox

After the 2018 World Series win, the Boston Red Sox were looking to book another ticket to the postseason after winning the AL East last year. With almost the exact same team minus some arms in the bullpen, the core of the team was still playing at Fenway. Pretty good odds when you think of another title contender.

The Red Sox saw a majority of their infield roster visit the IL with Brock Holt, Eduardo Nunez, and Dustin Pedroia seeing time on the injured list, making the team call up some top prospects in the organization.

The pitching staff only has Marco Hernandez and Nathan Eovaldi on the injured list (Eovaldi was just placed).

While the Red Sox are not nearly as injured as the Yankees, they are suffering in terms of quality starts from their starting pitching. Their rotation has really struggled out of the gate, with the key contributors of Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, and Nathan Eovaldi all throwing for an ERA over 6.00. Even starter Eduardo Rodriguez is not throwing well, with his ERA also above 6.00 ERA.

The Toronto Blue Jays were not expected to contend this year with many of the veterans being traded away and the front office focused on rebuilding with younger, farm-raised talent.

The team struggled mightily out of the gate, and couldn’t buy a hit while also striking out in record fashion.

The team was dealt a significant blow when both Ryan Borucki and Devon Travis were put on the 60-day IL to begin the season. Aaron Sanchez still continues to deal with finger and blister issues that have impacted his past few seasons.

This was followed by starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker tearing his ACL, rendering him unavailable for the season. This was an even more significant blow to both the team and the player, as Shoemaker was having an excellent start to his first year in Toronto.

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