The Rangers stepped up to the test of facing Oakland and Detroit in back-to-back series last week, going 5-2, including teeing off on Justin Verlander Thursday night for eight runs in 2 2/3 innings to help grab the league’s best record.

Curtis Granderson was the first injured veteran to come back from the DL for the Yankees lineup; but who needs starters when your replacements can continue to carry the load?

Watch out for the Tribe. The busy offseason is finally starting to pay off, as the Indians are the hottest team in the league right now after dethroning the Tigers for first place to make the AL Central very intriguing.

The Reds should be considered serious contenders in the NL, but the Cardinals, and even the Pirates, are causing problems, making the road to the playoffs more difficult for Cincinnati.

Before the season, the Tigers were thought to be a lock in the AL Central. Now the division-rival Indians, and even the Royals, are keeping things interesting.

The Giants are learning the hard way that winning doesn’t come automatically after becoming World Series champs twice in three years. The NL West is looking tougher than most expected it to be.

The Rockies aren’t playing as dominantly as they were to start the season, but Colorado should still be considered a legitimate contender with a healthy Troy Tulowitzki leading a powerful lineup.

The Nationals might not have been as powerful as they were expected to be so far, but they have at least managed to keep pace with the Braves in the NL East.

Earlier in the season, the Royals looked like they were finally ready to jump back into contention, but things have slowed since then. The team has the stats, but now needs to find ways to win to stay in the race.

The Padres aren’t expected to contend this season as they are still in a rebuilding phase, but they could make things interesting out west in the NL if they continue to play good baseball.

Could the new-look Blue Jays finally be turning the corner? The lineup looked impressive against the Giants, but followed the two-game sweep with two lousy games in New York against Yankees.

The Twins’ resurgence appears to have been short lived after losing a series to the division-rival White Sox and getting swept at home by the Red Sox as the rotation continues to struggle.

Angels fans are experiencing déjà vu with this team compared to last season. Both had high expectations only to fall completely flat out of the gates. Hopefully it isn’t too late to catch up in the standings.

Going into the season, the Brewers were expected to at least be in contention for first or second place in the NL Central, but Milwaukee hasn’t looked like it has the potential to be anywhere close to those predictions so far.

With the first quarter of the season in the books, the Marlins are among the worst in baseball as they were tied with the Astros as of Sunday for the league’s worst record.