Checking out the AL East at Memorial Day weekend

After two months, the Orioles are contending in the American League East, but their biggest rival has been the Red Sox, not the defending champion Blue Jays.The Rays have done a turnaround: They have a dangerous power lineup, but their rotation has questions.

The Red Sox, with David Ortiz in his final season, are pounding the ball, playing tight defense and growing a nucleus of talented players. Their issue is pitching.

The Yankees were bad in April, but surged in May, thanks to a string of quality starts by the rotation, especially lefty CC Sabathia.

Toronto has bullpen issues and their offense can't hit in the clutch.

Here's how the division stacks up on Memorial Day weekend:

Baltimore: The Orioles came into the season with a punishing offense, a deep bullpen and questions about their rotation. In the first two months, the rotation has responded - at least partially. The Orioles' 4.45 rotation ERA ranks seventh in the AL. ... Chris Tillman (2.60 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP) has re-established himself as the ace and Kevin Gausman, with his electric fastball, has pitched well (3.24 and 1.13) even though he has no wins to show for it. ... Ubaldo Jimenez (6.04 ERA) is his usual inconsistent self, although he's been more bad than good. What happens to Jimenez when Yovani Gallardo, who has been on the disabled list since April 23 with shoulder tendinitis, is healthy? ... Tyler Wilson was supposed to be rotation depth, but instead of pitching in the minors, he's proving himself with the Orioles. Mike Wright has a good fastball, but going deep into the game is a challenge. ... It will be interesting to see if Vance Worley fits into the rotation somehow this season. ... The bullpen, as expected, is strong. Zach Britton (0.58 WHIP) is the most underrated closer in the game with his sinking fastball and there's no arguing about the setup crew of Darren O'Day (2.60), Mychal Givens (1.77) and Brad Brach (1.08). ... Except for 52 strikeouts in three games in Houston, the Orioles offense is dangerous. ... The best storyline is Mark Trumbo, who was acquired from Seattle as insurance for the possible departure of Chris Davis. Trumbo, a .252 career hitter, is hitting .279-14-32, thanks to mechanical advice from former Mariners batting coach Edgar Martinez. The Mariners traded Trumbo because they were unsure about his defense in spacious Safeco Field and Nelson Cruz was already their DH. ... With Joey Rickard, the Rule 5 pick, cooling off in May, does that give Hyun Soo Kim more playing time? Kim, who refused an assignment to the minors after losing his job in spring training, is a disciplined hitter with a .444 average and a .512 on-base percentage in 36 at-bats. He's stayed sharp, waiting for his chance while taking hundreds of swings in the cage. ... Manny Machado is on his way to being in the AL MVP talk. He's hitting .309-13-25. ... Matt Wieters caught three consecutive games for the first time this week. In a loaded lineup, he's the forgotten bat, but he's hitting .292 and looking like the strong hitter he was before his elbow surgery.

Boston: After finishing last in the AL East in 2015, the new-look Red Sox are in first place, even though new acquisitions haven't been great. Lefty starter David Price had a slow start, but has pitched better lately, lowering his ERA to 5.34. ... Closer Craig Kimbrel has saved 12 of 13 and Carson Smith, a flame-throwing setup guy acquired from Seattle, is out for the season after Tommy John surgery. ... The Red Sox offense - with = Ortiz, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts leading the way - lead the AL in average (.296), hits (495) and runs (276). They are fourth in stolen bases (31). Bradley's 29-game hitting streak ended Thursday night. ... The best in the bullpen is Junichi Tazawa, but he's never pitched well in the second half, and 41-year-old Koji Uehara's age is a concern. So the Red Sox might need to trade for bullpen help. ... The rotation is iffy, too: Rick Porcello (7-2, 3.47) and Steven Wright (4-4, 2.52) have been the Red Sox's best starters, but Clay Buchholz is shaky. The Red Sox could get Eduardo Rodriguez, a former Orioles prospect who was their best pitcher last year, back from the disabled list this month. Joe Kelly is good, but untested. ... The Red Sox are strong defensively with catcher Christian Vazquez, infielders Bogaerts and Dustin Pedroia, and Bradley the centerfielder. ... Travis Shaw's smooth play at third base has made Red Sox fans forget the weighty Pablo Sandoval, who lost his job to Shaw and will spend the season on the disabled list with a shoulder injury.

New York: After being eight games under .500 on May 5, the Yankees have had a strong May, but will they be able to over come their aging roster? Last season, they had a seven-game lead in late July, but then age and injury caught up to them and they lost the AL East title to Toronto. ... The bullpen, with lefty Aroldis Chapman (2.25) back from suspension and joining Andrew Miller (0.96) and Dellin Betances (2.01), is as good as advertised. ... The Yankees' best power source is Carlos Beltran, and their biggest disappointment is first baseman Mark Teixeira, hitting .195. Beltran, who leads the team with 10 home runs, was moved to DH so that Aaron Hicks could play right field. While Hicks is good defensively, he fights to keep his average above .200. ... Jacoby Ellsbury had a miserable April (.225), but rebounded in May, hitting .339. ... Catcher Brian McCann is average at best, but their youthful middle infield - shortstop Didi Gregorius and second baseman Starlin Castro - are building blocks. ... The rotation might not be as bad as most thought. Four starters - Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Nathan Eovaldi and Masahiro Tanaka - each have an ERA of under 4.00. Sabathia has lowered his ERA to 2.83 and is hitting a groove as he learns to pitch with a fastball in the high 80s.

Tampa Bay: The Rays, who finished fourth at 80-82 last season, have new wrinkles: Their usually strong rotation struggles, and, they are challenging the Orioles for the AL lead in home runs. The Rays have 67 home runs going into Friday, the Orioles 66. ... The rotation has questions. Ace All-Star Chris Archer has been stung by walks, sending his ERA to 5.16 after it was 3.22, 3.33 and 3.23 in each of the last three years. His 26 walks have hurt him. Matt Moore, one of the best lefties in the game before surgery, is struggling to come back from Tommy John, giving up 58 hits in 51 innings. Drew Smyly was good in April, bad in May. Erasmo Ramirez (2.43 ERA) is the Rays' most consistent starter. ... The Rays finished eighth in home runs last season, but this year, they have 13 different players hitting home runs, including nine by Steven Souza, former Nationals prospect, and eight each Evan Longoria and Corey Dickerson. ... Former Oriole Steve Pearce is hitting .290 with seven home runs playing either first, second or third base.

Toronto: After winning the AL East and losing the pennant to Kansas City, the Blue Jays returned with a beefed-up bullpen and the same dangerous offense. And while the offense is hitting home runs, the team average has dropped from .269 at the end of last year to .233. ... The Blue Jays can't hit in the clutch. They are hitting .216 with runners in scoring position and there's a list of players struggling to hit .250, including Troy Tulowitzki (.209), Edwin Encarnacion (.242), Josh Donaldson (.242) and Jose Bautista (.238). Tulowitzki came to the Blue Jays in a trade from Colorado last season, but his bat hasn't been near as productive as it was for nine seasons with the Rockies. ... Marco Estrada (2.76) leads the rotation and the kids - 25-year-old Marcus Stroman and 23-year-old Aaron Sanchez - are doing fine. Sanchez, who is 4-1 with a 3.20 ERA, pitched out of the bullpen last season and Stroman (5-1, 3.89 ERA) missed the first five months of 2015 with an ACL injury. R.A. Dickey is a 41-year-old disappointment at 4.60. ... Outfielder Michael Saunders, limited to nine games last season because of a knee injury, is back on track. He's hitting .306. ... The 21-year-old closer, Roberto Osuna, is better than last season, giving up 25 hits and five walks in 21 innings, but the setup guys, former National Drew Storen and Brett Cecil, are struggling. Opponents are hitting .333 against Storen and Cecil was not good before going on the disabled list.