Answers to some pressing early-season baseball questions

You have questions and we have answers:

Q: How does Daniel Murphy like playing for the Nationals, given he was with the rival Mets last season?

A: Murphy has fit in perfectly, and how could any one argue with his production? Another contribution from Murphy: He's met with each of the Nationals pitchers to give them scouting reports on how the Mets viewed them last season. He's told them when the Mets were comfortable at the plate, when they weren't and when they were expecting certain pitches. "A huge help,'' Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark says. FYI, after Murphy signed, Ryan Zimmerman called him to give Murphy his Realtor's number.

Q: How concerned should Orioles fans be with the rotation's slow start?

A: There should be concern. The Orioles' rotation ERA (5.14) ranks 14th in the American League going into Tuesday night and their starters have pitched the fewest innings in the AL. Yes, Kansas City won the 2015 World Series after a regular season with a rotation that had the fewest innings pitched and the second-highest ERA in the league. And, yes, Orioles manager Buck Showalter handles a deep bullpen well. But the Royals were an exception. Relying on four innings a game from the bullpen is like not knowing how to swim and jumping into the deep end of a pool because there's a good lifeguard.

Q: Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller have been strikeout machines in the Yankees bullpen. How good is the Yankees bullpen going to be when Aroldis Chapman returns from his suspension?

A: Chapman, a lefty with a 100 mph fastball, returns May 9. There's no argument that the threesome in the Yankees bullpen is the best around, given that Betances is striking out 22 batters per nine, Miller 21.6. But after those three, the Yankees bullpen is thin and inexperienced: Lefty Chasen Shreve had 64 strikeouts and 33 walks in 58 1/3 innings last season, Kirby Yates has a 5.28 ERA in 61 career appearances and Johnny Barbato has six big league innings under his belt. So the Orioles have the edge in bullpen depth.

Q: Is the Nationals' hot start for real?

A: Without a doubt, even though they're winning against lowly teams, the Braves six times and the Phillies twice. Bryce Harper's numbers are going to be better because of the healthy lineup around him. Last year, he carried the team when there were injuries to Denard Span, Jayson Werth, Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon. Lefty Gio Gonzalez seems to be back on track, and it will be his job to match the production of departed Jordan Zimmermann. The bullpen has pitched well, but does closer Jonathan Papelbon hold up at 35? Can Shawn Kelley repeat last year's performance when he played with San Diego, and has Blake Treinen turned the corner to be consistent?

Q: Is it too early to say the Nationals will win the National League East?

A: No. In fact, they will win by a wide margin. The prediction here is that they will win by 11 games.

Q: How similar are the Blue Jays and the Orioles?

A: There's the obvious similarity in that both of the lineups are loaded with big-time mashers. Either could easily lead the AL in home runs and/or runs scored. They are each relying on an inconsistent starter (Ubaldo Jimenez and R.A. Dickey) and young pitchers (Kevin Gausman and Marcus Stroman) to have breakout seasons. And they also are banking on prospects (Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright and Aaron Sanchez) to help them contend. The offensive firepower with both teams overshadows two of the best defenses in the league. The Orioles' infield defense is tight with, from third to first, Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Jonathan Schoop and Chris Davis, and they are strong up the middle with either catchers Caleb Joseph and Matt Wieters and center fielder Adam Jones. The Blue Jays defense is right there with the Orioles. Russell Martin is the best defensive catcher in the league, the AL's answer to St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is one of the all-around best. Second baseman Ryan Goins and center fielder Kevin Pillar are plus defenders. Pillar has speed and range. He, along with Goins, is underrated.

Q: The Twins, who play in D.C. this weekend, and the Braves, who lost a four-game series to the Nationals in Washington, each started 0-9. Who has the better team?

A: The Twins will end up with more wins than the Braves. The Twins have more experienced pitchers - Phil Hughes, Ervin Santana and Kyle Gibson - and an offense that is perking up after piling up a league-leading number of strikeouts during the losing streak. Joe Mauer is hitting like the Mauer that has won batting titles. Eduardo Escobar, a shortstop the Twins received from the White Sox in a trade for pitcher Francisco Liriano, is developing quickly. The Braves defense is weak up the middle. Their rotation is suspect after Julio Teheran and the offense is limited too much to former Oriole Nick Markakis protecting Freddie Freeman.

Q: What can the Red Sox do with third baseman Pablo Sandoval?

A: Not much. He's in the second year of a $95 million contract and lost his job to Travis Shaw, a ninth-round draft pick who played well, and then went on the disabled list. Sandoval's weight is a huge problem. The Red Sox have to hope that they can find another team that would like to trade one bad contract for another. And, if that doesn't happen, the only way they could trade him would be to eat - no pun intended - a big portion of the contract.

Q: Why did the Rangers give third baseman Adrian Beltre a two-year contract extension for $36 million at 37?

A: He's a young 37. Plus, he's an icon, a future Hall of Famer, a clubhouse leader and productive batter who has a chance to have 3,000 hits in his career. He's also won four Gold Gloves. And, when he signed the contract, he had played 2,495 games at third base. The only other player to play more games at third base is Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson (2,870) of the Orioles.