Red Sox earn A, Yankees a C (on a curve) on the 2008 regular season's first grade card

The 2008 regular season is now more than one-fifth complete, and like every year, there are teams that are performing as expected, and others that are pleasant surprises or ghastly disappointments. Here are the first grades of the season for American League East teams:

• Boston - A. Just as they did last year, the Red Sox overcame obstacles to consistently win because of solid pitching and talented depth. This season - despite the arduous three-country road trip to begin the season, an array of injuries to key players, a flu bag that sapped the strength of several position players and pitchers, an ineffective bullpen and the fragile and unreliable J.D. Drew - Boston is tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the AL's best record at 22-13. The starting pitching has been exceptional, and it seems like a different hitter delivers in the clutch every game (with the exception of that recent five-game stretch when they scored a total of four runs). The Sox have received contributions from Sean Casey while Mike Lowell was out, Jed Lowrie while Alex Cora has been inactive and Brandon Moss. That depth will especially be vital later in the season.
• Tampa Bay - B. Tampa Bay's farm system is even deeper than Boston's, and an array of premiere starting pitchers are on the way, but the rotation of Scott Kazmir (who is now back), James Shields, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson is formidable, and the bullpen is one of the best in baseball (statistically). At the plate, Tampa Bay is productive. If the starting rotation and bullpen continue to shine, the Rays could feasibly finish ahead of the Yankees, Blue Jays and Orioles. They are that good, but not yet strong enough to overtake Boston.
• Baltimore - B. The rotation, bullpen and lineup have exceeded expectations, so the Orioles deserve a B at this point, but it won't be long before they return to reality. This is still the worst team in the American League East, and one of the least talented in baseball.
• New York Yankees - C. I'm generous. I grade on a curve. Otherwise the Yankees would join the Blue Jays with a D. While the Orioles have exceeded expectations, the Yankees have been a disappointment. It was obvious that, when the regular season started, this would not be one of the better years in recent Yankees history, yet a lack of depth and ineffective performances by alleged top prospects Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy have hurt the team more than expected. Unlike the Red Sox, the Yankees do not have enough talented depth to overcome injuries. And, once again, Brian Cashman did not field a strong starting rotation. Before the season started, I wrote about how the Yankees would regret not adding a veteran starting pitcher and choosing to rely too much on Kennedy and Hughes. So far, I have been proven correct. Does anyone honestly believe that Mike Mussina will finish the season with an ERA below 5? The Yankees have Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte. That's it. If the Yankees had better starting pitching, they could overcome the injuries to Jorge Posada and A-Rod. True, the Yankees traditionally have a slow start in April, but this year, the lack of pitching, and little depth, will keep them out of the playoffs.
• Toronto - D. Only Roy Halladay keeps the Blue Jays from getting an F. The rotation is solid, but the bullpen misses Casey Janssen, and the lineup is weak. How does John Gibbons keep his job? And J.P. Ricciardi, for that matter.