1.Oakland Athletics
The Athletics’ pitching staff is one of the major reasons that they find themselves on top of the entire league. Led by Sonny Gray and a resurgent Scott Kazmir, the Athletics have put together a team ERA of 2.88, far ahead of any other AL team. Look for this staff to put them in World Series contention come October.
2.Seattle Mariners
The AL West boasts of the best pitching of any division in baseball, and much of that comes from Seattle. Felix Hernandez is off to another Cy Young-quality season, with an 8-2 record and a 2.29 ERA. The Mariners also hold the best bullpen ERA in the AL, at 2.69.
3.Boston Red Sox
Surprisingly, third place on this list is not where the Red Sox want to be right now. With Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, John Lackey and Jake Peavy, the Red Sox won a World Series last year. Now, none has an ERA under 3.00 ERA and Buchholz’s hovers over 7.00. However, they could turn it on at any point.
4.Kansas City Royals
The Royals pitching staff is a quality one, but it lacks a true ace. Youngster Yordano Ventura leads the rotation with a 3.20 ERA, but he has been inconsistent thus far. However, the staff is holding batters to a .252 average, which ranks third in the AL. If James Shields can continue to pitch well, he could lead this team to the playoffs.
5.Los Angeles Angels
The Angels’ weakness the past two seasons was their pitching, but this season has been promising so far. Garrett Richards headlines a pitching staff with a breakout season, holding a 2.87 ERA. The Angels staff is holding opposing batters to a .235 batting average; the second-lowest in the AL.
6.Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays, like the Angels, were an offensive team looking for the pitching staff to step up. This year, Mark Buehrle had led the team with a 10-3 record and a 2.28 ERA, some of the best numbers in his career. Drew Hutchison, 23, has also chipped in a 3.62 ERA.
7.Tampa Bay Rays
Although the Rays are in the midst of a horribly disappointing season, the pitching has been its strongest point. Chris Archer and David Price lead a staff that has recorded a 4.00 ERA. However, if the season ended today, that would be the highest ERA for the Rays since 2009.
8.Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles, like the Rays, had high expectations for their pitching staff entering 2014. Ace Chris Tillman and offseason-signing Ubaldo Jimenez have ERA’s over 4.80. However, the team has put together a string of consecutive quality starts, allowing it to move up on this list.
9.New York Yankees
The Yankees are happy they have Masahiro Tanaka. Tanaka is 10-1 with a 2.02 ERA this season, over 2.00 better than any starter who has started at least eight games this season. Watch out for 25-year-old Chase Whitley who has 2.41 ERA in six starts this season.
10.Detroit Tigers
The Tigers have no business being this far back on this list, but the bullpen is the worst in the AL with a 4.78 ERA. What makes this worse is that former Cy Young-winner Justin Verlander has a 4.61 ERA. That means team the team has to rely on their bullpen more than ever, and that’s scary.
11.Cleveland Indians
The Indians’ full pitcing staff has been a nice surprise this season, led by the work of start Corey Kluber, who is 6-4 with a 3.35 ERA. The lack of depth in the rotation is a worry, but the bullpen boasts the fourth-best ERA in the AL.
12.Chicago White Sox
The White Sox’s team ERA of 4.37 is certainly high, but it could be attributed to the fact that ace Chris Sale missed a month in April and May. He’s back now and pitching to a 1.97 ERA. The White Sox also ranks eighth in the AL, so there should be optimism in Chicago.
13.Houston Astros
The Astros are very young, and it doesn’t help that 31-year-old Scott Feldman regressed in May. Dallas Keuchel leads a crop of young talent that is years away from being top-notch. The bullpen also ranks 14th in the AL in ERA.
14.Minnesota Twins
Much of what the Twins have done on the mound has been strong, like the sixth-ranked bullpen and Phil Hughes, who has quietly moved to 7-2 with a 3.17 ERA. However, veterans like Kevin Correia and Ricky Nolasco have stuggled this season, pulling the rest of the staff with them.
15.Texas Rangers
The Rangers certainly were not expecting to post a AL-worst 4.46 ERA at this point, but injuries have dismantled this team. Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Martin Perez are out for extended period of time, and the Rangers’ staff has suffered as a result.