Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown season was clearly not a fluke. Cabrera has been even more dominant thus far this season. After going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in the Detroit Tigers’ 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins, Cabrera now has 14 homers and 55 RBI in 45 games this season.
Hiroki Kuroda takes the hill for the New York Yankees against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday Night Baseball (ESPN, 7 ET). Kuroda is 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA in four career starts against the Orioles (including the postseason), all coming since he joined the Yankees.
With 10 wins in 15 starts, CC Sabathia has the second-most victories at Camden Yards among visiting pitchers -- only teammate Andy Pettitte (16-4) has more. The Baltimore Orioles won’t dodge Pettitte -- who is on the disabled list -- when they start a three-game series with the New York Yankees, but on Monday (7 ET on ESPN and WatchESPN) the O’s will face Sabathia.
Jon Lester goes for his sixth win of the season on Wednesday when the Boston Red Sox play the Tampa Bay Rays (7 ET on ESPN and WatchESPN). In 2012, Lester didn’t earn his sixth win until Aug. 12 -- 24 starts into the season.
Last season’s Cy Young winners, David Price and R.A. Dickey, are scheduled to start Thursday night when the Tampa Bay Rays host the Toronto Blue Jays. However, so far in 2013, Price and Dickey certainly have not been the same pitchers that they were in 2012.
One year ago today, May 8, Josh Hamilton went 5-for-5 with four home runs and eight RBI against the Baltimore Orioles. That seems like a long time ago, especially considering Hamilton's early-season struggles with the Los Angeles Angels.
(The Boston Red Sox host the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday at 7 ET on ESPN and WatchESPN.) A pair of rookie starting pitchers take the mound at Fenway Park. Pedro Hernandez and Allen Webster were acquired by the Twins and Red Sox, respectively, in midseason trades.
Matt Harvey was just about as perfect as possible without being perfect against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. Harvey is the only player in the Modern Era (since 1900) to pitch nine innings with at least 12 strikeouts allowing no walks and only one hit with no decision, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
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With three teams each finishing at least 16 games above .500, the American League West was the strongest division in 2012 according to the ESPN Stats & Information MLB Division Power Rankings. And although it’s only one month into the season, the AL West is looking up at the five other divisions in the first edition of the 2013 rankings.
