The AL Season So Far
Since we've passed the one-third mark of the season, let's evaluate each American League team based on preseason expectations and what's transpired so far (listed by division in order of current standings; last week we looked at the National League).

AL East

	Garciaparra

Boston Red Sox -- The expectation going into the season was that if everyone stayed healthy, they hoped to compete for the AL East crown or at least the wild card. Judging by that, they've been a big success. Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra and catcher Jason Varitek have stayed healthy, and Derek Lowe has made an amazing transition from reliever to starter. Pedro Martinez has been a bit iffy by his standards, but he's still one of the game's best pitchers. Johnny Damon and Shea Hillenbrand have been sensational, and the team has weathered a lengthy trip to the DL by DH Manny Ramirez. The main concern right now is depth in the bullpen.

New York Yankees -- With their offseason pickups (especially Jason Giambi), the Yankees were expected to improve their on-base percentage and run production. Perhaps the single biggest reason for their exorbitant home run total (105 in 66 games) is the cause-and-effect of their ability to see a lot of pitches. The Yankees are masters at laying off pitches and working deep counts. While Yankee hitters lead the majors in strikeouts, they're second in walks. So they cause starters' pitch counts to soar, and when they get to the middle relief, they beat it to death. Youngsters Nick Johnson and Alfonso Soriano have been productive, as has Giambi after a slow start. But the health of starters Andy Pettitte, Orlando Hernandez and David Wells will determine how dominant New York can be this season.

Baltimore Orioles -- The O's have had four straight years in which their win total has decreased. They came into the season hoping that some young pitchers would develop, and two have: Rodrigo Lopez and Jorge Julio, their fine closer. Travis Driskill, the 30-year-old rookie, also has pitched well. Second baseman Brian Roberts and right fielder Jay Gibbons have displayed promising potential. The O's are playing about as well as can be expected, especially with DH David Segui out for substantial time with an injury. Outfielder Chris Richard has also been hurt. The O's need to keep working on the rebuilding project.

Toronto Blue Jays -- We figured Buck Martinez would be on the hot seat this season, and he was -- he's gone now. With the exception of Roy Halladay, the pitching has been horrible. Raul Mondesi appears to be vastly overpaid. The bright spot has been rookie third baseman Eric Hinske, and center fielder Vernon Wells has shown some promise. As far as a roster overhaul, it will be tough to do with the Mondesi and Carlos Delgado contracts.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays -- You figured they'd be bad, but they hoped some of their young players would start playing better. First baseman Steve Cox, DH Aubrey Huff and starting pitchers Joe Kennedy and Ryan Rupe have had some shining moments. But Greg Vaughn and Ben Grieve have disappointed so far. The bottom line is that the Devil Rays just aren't a very good team, and the negatives have certainly outweighed the positives.

AL Central

	Hunter

Minnesota Twins -- The Twins were expected to have a strong rotation, but a questionable bullpen. But the pen has been a pleasant surprise. And while it's true that the staff has been successful with Joe Mays and Brad Radke on the DL, the Twins need them to get healthy (and Eric Milton to pitch better). Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones have led the way in terms of offensive production. For the Twins to be in first place after all the offseason contraction talk is a testament to their focus and will as a team.

Chicago White Sox -- The Sox hoped that the pitching would improve and the offense would be sufficient. But the trade for starter Todd Ritchie hasn't turned out as they hoped. Ritchie is 4-8, while the three pitchers they dealt him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for -- Josh Fogg, Sean Lowe and Kip Wells -- have combined for 17 wins. Meanwhile, the Sox's defense has been sub-par again. Paul Konerko and Magglio Ordonez have produced on offense; Frank Thomas' average is down, but he leads the Sox in homers (13).

Cleveland Indians -- The Indians were the most difficult team to predict heading into the season. The question was how the team would weather the departures of Roberto Alomar, Juan Gonzalez and Kenny Lofton. Cleveland did just fine at first, racing to a torrid 11-1 start before leveling off. Bartolo Colon has been the ace of the staff, but C.C. Sabathia has slipped some. The Indians have some work to do if they want to make the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years.

Kansas City Royals -- The Royals hoped to bolster their rotation, but Jeff Suppan and Paul Byrd were the only starters to post wins in April and May. Mike Sweeney is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the game, but there are few other bright spots. The Royals have a long way to go to become a postseason contender.

Detroit Tigers -- This once-proud franchise is going through a down time, mainly because there are too many mediocre and poor players on the roster. Starter Jeff Weaver has been a workhorse, and shortstop Ramon Santiago looks promising. Bobby Higginson and Robert Fick have been solid, but not enough to keep the Tigers out of the basement. If Detroit has any prospects on the farm, I hope we see them soon.

AL West
Seattle Mariners -- After last year's record-setting run, we expected about 12 to 15 fewer wins for the M's this year. Injuries to DH Edgar Martinez, starter Paul Abbott and reliever Jeff Nelson have hurt, and Bret Boone and Mike Cameron haven't hit the way they're capable of hitting (though it would be tough for Boone to duplicate last season's production). The M's have played great defense. The question as the season moves on revolves around the rotation: Will Joel Pineiro and Rafael Soriano be able to step up and become solid starters?

	Erstad

Anaheim Angels -- The Angels have been in Southern California since the early 1960s and have been to the postseason three times, but never to the World Series. After a 6-14 start, they have the best record in baseball since then (32-11, 38-25 overall). Manager Mike Scioscia has done a masterful job. The Angels' rotation has been deeper than anticipated -- and the starters go deep into games -- and they have a decent bullpen. The offense has been opportunistic: Anaheim is second in the majors in batting average (.282) and fifth in runs scored, but near the bottom in home runs and walks. Disneyland used to sell an E-ticket for the best rides, and the Angels will need to ride their own E-ticket to continue their offensive success -- that is, Darin Erstad and David Eckstein.

Oakland Athletics -- Jason Giambi, Jason Isringhausen and Johnny Damon are gone. When starter Mark Mulder got hurt, the staff fell apart -- except for Barry Zito, the only starter who has pitched to his potential. The bullpen isn't that good, and David Justice has spent a good portion of the year on the DL. Still, the A's have surged lately and appear to be back in the mix. The way the Angels and M's have played, they'll need to keep it going.

Texas Rangers -- I applaud what GM John Hart tried to do. He attempted to build his pitching staff from the back end, with strikeout pitchers like Rudy Seanez, Hideki Irabu and Rich Rodriguez. Of course, it hasn't worked. But the Rangers have had to deal with 10 significant injuries, including catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who will be a free agent at the end of the year. The question now is: Will the Rangers try to unload or rebuild? I think unloading is more likely.

On the Horizon
Let's look at four key regional interleague series -- these are the series that make interleague play worthwhile:

Yankees-Mets (three-game series at Shea starts Friday)
The big focus will be on Roger Clemens finally pitching (and batting) at Shea (he's scheduled to start Saturday). Two years ago Clemens hit Mike Piazza in the head -- he said it was not intentional -- and last year Yankees manager Joe Torre arranged his rotation to keep Clemens from pitching at Shea.

Plenty of baseball people are hoping that someone on the Mets' staff has the courage to dust Clemens. Whether that becomes a primary issue remains to be seen. If I were on the Mets, I'd want a message sent to Clemens after he beaned my star player. How you send that message is subject to interpretation.

This series is more important for the Mets than the Yankees (although Yankees owner George Steinbrenner doesn't see it that way). The Mets trail Atlanta by 6½ games, while the Yanks trail Boston by just 1½. But the way the Mets are struggling at the plate, a dose of Yankee pitching isn't exactly what the doctor ordered.

Angels-Dodgers (three-game series in Los Angeles starts Friday)
Since their 6-14 start, the Angels have a 32-11 record, which makes them the hottest team in baseball. They trail the Mariners by just one game in the AL West. Manager Mike Scioscia has led a brilliant turnaround. For the Dodgers, who are one game behind Arizona in the NL West, their success has centered around their pitching. They've got a strong staff and a great closer in Eric Gagne. I expect this to be an exciting series between two teams that have a lot to play for -- namely, shots at first place in their respective divisions.

White Sox-Cubs (three-game series at Wrigley starts Friday)
These teams have both struggled, though the Cubs are in more trouble than the White Sox. The Sox lost 12 of 15 before taking the last two games of the their series against the Mets, but at least they're at .500 and in second place in the AL Central (behind Minnesota). The Cubs are 12 games under .500, and all that's keeping them from being in the NL Central cellar are the Milwaukee Brewers. There's a sense of urgency setting in for each team -- they need victories. With the Twins playing well, the White Sox can't afford to slip too far behind. The White Sox have a better chance at the postseason right now, because the Cubs have too many teams to climb over.

A's-Giants (three-game series in San Francisco starts Friday)

	Kent

The A's have won seven in a row and 15 of their last 19 games to get back in the hunt in the AL West; Oakland is five games behind Seattle and four behind Anaheim. The Giants, 2½ games out of first in the NL West, are still looking for Jeff Kent to provide more protection for Barry Bonds. At the rate Bonds is going, he may wind up with 250 walks. The A's starters are beginning to come around, and they'll get a good challenge facing Bonds. This series is equally important for both teams. The Giants want to keep pace with L.A. and Arizona, while the A's want to continue their resurgence.

If I Were the Skipper
The Situation: Yankees-Diamondbacks, top of the eighth in New York on Monday night. Arizona leads 4-3, Randy Johnson on the mound. He has thrown 132 pitches and just gave up a double to Jorge Posada to put runners on second and third. With two outs, manager Bob Brenly summons Bret Prinz from the bullpen. The question: Why not go to Byung-Hyun Kim for a four-out save? After all, Kim has a 1.34 ERA with 17 saves, while Prinz's ERA is a lofty 12.00.

Campbell's Call: Kim had pitched in all three games in the weekend series at Boston, getting two saves. To my understanding, it had been determined before Monday's game that Kim wasn't going to pitch come hell or high water. Fans often don't understand that sometimes you have to lose the battle to win the war. If you blow your pitching staff early in the season, you're obviously in trouble come pennant-race time.

It's essential for Arizona to get Matt Mantei back. It appears that Brenly has no confidence in anybody in his bullpen beyond Kim. I applaud his decision in Monday night's game. He decided to rest Kim and didn't waver, even though it must have been tempting. The bottom line is that Brenly made the right move in lifting Johnson and going to Prinz -- it just backfired.

Ballpark Focus: Shea Stadium, New York
Opened in 1964, Shea Stadium is a cookie-cutter park, totally symmetrical around the outfield: 338 feet to the left- and right-field foul poles, 378 in the gaps and 410 in center. By contrast, Yankee Stadium is 318 down the left-field line and 314 to right.

Shea, to my knowledge, is the only major-league ballpark below sea level. So there's certainly no Coors Field effect on flyballs -- no humidor is needed at Shea! For three months -- April, May and September -- Shea is clearly a pitcher's park. But for the three summer months, when the air is warmer and the ball carries better, it's neutral. Still, there are no cheap home runs at Shea.

Shea Stadium has witnessed many memorable moments. The 1964 All-Star Game was played at Shea. In the '69 World Series, won by the Miracle Mets, Tommie Agee and Ron Swoboda made amazing catches in the outfield. Then, of course, there's the infamous groundball that went through Bill Buckner's legs in the '86 Series.

When I played against the Mets in the early '70s, I always hated the infield at Shea. Once the summer came, the dirt was hard underneath and the ball had a tendency to skid. By '86 they may have redone the infield, so I don't know if that was a factor for Bill Buckner in the World Series. Certain fields felt comfortable defensively to me, and others didn't. I never liked the infields at Shea or Wrigley Field.

The other memory I have of playing at Shea is that awesome Mets pitching staff of the early '70s. I remember -- though I'd like to forget -- facing Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan and Gary Gentry. You wanted to be in a hitting groove heading to New York, because it was tough to get into one once you got there.

Editor's Note: All statistics are through Wednesday's games. Dave Campbell, who was an infielder for eight seasons in the major leagues (1967-74), is an analyst for Baseball Tonight and ESPN Radio.