Showalter: Division standings to loosen soon

KANSAS CITY -- With clubs at or near the quarter pole in the 2014 season, there was only a 3 1/2-game difference between first and last place in the American League East entering Thursday's action. But Orioles manager Buck Showalter doesn't expect the division to be so bunched a month from now.

"Everybody starts separating about the middle of June," Showalter said. " At ESPN, they used to talk about it every year. We're getting into that stage of the season where teams start separating.

"A lot of clubs have tried to work their way through injuries. Everybody has them. That's why the 'what-ifs' are so important."