Simon Impresses, but O's Lose; AL East Thoughts into '09

Although the Orioles lost 2-1 to the Mets last night, they got a nice little surprise from Alfredo Simon, who started the game last night for Baltimore. I guess it is safe to assume -- at least from what I have seen -- that Simon will make the rotation, presumably as the fifth starter. Simon -- who is actively looking to make the rotation out of Spring Training -- was impressive as he only allowed one run in six innings of work. He gave up a home run to Daniel Murphy in the fourth inning, but other than that, he was golden. I have no idea if Simon can keep up his success in Florida and translate it into the regular season, but then again, we've got another arm and one who has been solid. Adam Jones continued his hot streak as he desposited a home run over into field field off Oliver Perez in the third inning. Well, since the season starts next week, I might as well make some predictions -- starting off with the American League East. Here's what I think the standings will be ...