"Which of the AL East teams is best set up to have success for the remainder of the season?"

With every one of the American League East teams over .500, and the Red Sox heading into a four-game series at Fenway Park against the first-place Yankees -- with a chance to readjust at some of the division's standings -- it seemed like a pertinent question to ask of an American League scout who has seen each of these teams extensively.

"I would have to say Boston," he said, "but this series is going to be huge."

Heading into this weekend, the Yankees are in first at 49-32, with the Orioles trailing by 5 1/2 games at 44-38. The Rays are seven games bak at 43-40, while the Red Sox (42-40) and Blue Jays (42-41) are bringing up the rear.

But some other numbers that those inside the world of Major League Baseball also take note of is run differential. That metric shows the Yankees have scored 54 more runs than they have given up, while the Red Sox are on the plus side by 50 runs. The Blue Jays also are on the plus side by 24 runs, while the Rays have scored exactly the same number of runs they have surrendered. The Orioles? A minus-28.

So, heading into the season's second half, which of these teams have the advantage (or disadvantage) in their starting pitching staffs, bullpens and lineups? One well-informed scout offers his take.

STARTERS

"Tampa is the best, I don't think anybody else is close," the scout said, going on to designate (in order) the Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles and Blue Jays as next in line.

"Between [Matt] Moore, [David] Price, [Jeremy] Hellickson, there aren't gaps you can get in a three-game stretch. Anything can happen, but realistically speaking, they have at least two stoppers in Shields and Price. … There is something to be said to have pitchers who opposing lineups have familiarity with and they can still shut you down. There's not a pitcher James Shields or David Price is going to throw at anybody in the AL East where they were wondering where that came from. They all know what's coming and they still put up good results."

The numbers line up with the analysis, with Tampa Bay leading all of the starting staffs with a 3.72 ERA, followed by the Yankees (3.95), Blue Jays (4.57), Red Sox (4.64) and Orioles (4.78).

The Rays starters also have turned in the most innings, totaling 505 1/3. The Yankees are close at 501, with the Red Sox (486 1/3), Blue Jays (482 1/3) and Orioles (480) trailing.

The scout points out that the Blue Jays would be rated higher if not for key injuries to their staff in the form of Kyle Drabek, Drew Hutchinson and Brandon Morrow (although substitutes Aaron Laffey and Carlos Villanueva each have an ERA of under 2.15 in their respective pair of starts).

As for the Orioles, there still is some disbelief.

"The big strength of theirs is [Jason] Hammels, but he is still a little bit of an unknown," the scout said. "And then there's the question of how [Wei-Yin] Chen can do in the second half, going through the league for a second or third time. He's been outstanding (7-4, 3.64 ERA in 16 starts). He's got deception with a  90-91 mph fastball, getting a lot of foul balls and swings and misses. But I don't see that stuff holding up and being as dominant as it has been."

The one staff that could compete with Tampa?

"If Boston is healthy," the scout said, "on paper they could easily be right there."

BULLPENS

"Baltimore." It's the scout's answer when asked which team has the best overall bullpen. But, he warns of jumping to conclusions regarding the Orioles relievers' productivity in the second half.

"With Baltimore, you have a little bit of the unknown right now," he said. "People don't know [Pedro] Strop, and he's had a career year. People don't know [Matt] Lindstrom, and he's been outstanding. Everybody knows how good [Jim] Johnson is. Johnson is the most consistent closer you're going to get. You're going to get the same stuff from him day in, day out.

"You've got some good bullpens," added the scout. "Baltimore, Tampa and Boston. If you look at [Andrew] Miller and [Matt] Albers, I sit there and think if I'm right-handed I never want to face Albers, and if I'm a left-hander I would definitely not want to get in the box against Miller. Then you have [Scott] Atchison, who has been incredible. There are some good bullpens going right now."

As for numbers, the O's bullpen is best with a 2.76 ERA, with the Red Sox a close second at 3.09. The Yankees stand at 3.12, the Rays at 3.60 and the Blue Jays at 4.20.

Then you have the Yankees, who have had good results from Rafael Soriano since he took over for the injured Mariano Rivera, converting 19-of-20 saves while posting a 1.72 ERA.

Another key has been the successes and failures in the free agent markets. Francisco Cordero has been horrible for the Blue Jays, allowing 22 earned runs and 48 hits in 33 innings. Fernando Rodney, on the other hand, has been excellent as the Tampa Bay closer.

"The times I've seen him, he's been unbelievable," the scout said of Rodney, who is 24-for-25 in save opportunities, striking out 38 and walking just five.

LINEUPS

Somewhat surprisingly, the Blue Jays have been the division's most prolific offense, scoring an AL East-best 417 runs. The Red Sox are second with 411, while the Yankees (384), Orioles (348) and Rays (343) trail.

What is somewhat interesting is that the Yankees (126), Blue Jays (122) and Orioles (105) are the three top home run-hitting teams in the American League, with the Red Sox residing in the middle of the AL pack at 97.

All things considered, however, the scout still identifies the Sox and Yankees as the two most dangerous lineups in the division.

"It's getting hot in New York and all those guys are going to start flying out of that park, even more than they do now," he said. "But if you get the production out of [Jacoby] Ellsbury and [Carl] Crawford, I don't care if Adrian Gonzalez doesn't hit another home run, look at the havoc they can create.

"I'll tell you a huge guy for New York is [Brett Gardner]," the scout added, referencing the injured outfielder (strained elbow). "If they don't get him back, they're going to buy somebody who is comparable. They need some speed.

"Time will tell. I'll tell you what, this is going to be an interesting couple of months."