Mets and Red Sox have work to do as they try to chase division crowns

The Nationals and Orioles usually have story lines that run on parallel tracks and this year is no different. Each is a first-place team. Each has a sizable lead with a crumbling contender behind them. The defending National League East champion New York Mets have a dysfunctional offense and now, after an 11-4 loss to the Nationals on Monday night, their rotation could be falling apart.

The Boston Red Sox, a first-place team in the American League East on June 1, have a list of problems that aren't going to be easy to fix. They are 9-15 in June after starting 32-20.

The Mets have the worst run-scoring lineup (80 runs) in the NL during June and, for the season, they rank third-to-last (274), scoring only more than Atlanta and Philadelphia.

David Wright and Lucas Duda are hurt. Curtis Granderson isn't hitting. Michael Conforto was shipped to the minors. Neil Walker's average has taken a dip. The Mets are banking that Jose Reyes, their former shortstop, will be motivated to return after a suspension and subsequent release from Colorado. Reyes will be a utility player.

And, Monday night at Nats Park, there was concern that ace pitcher Noah Syndergaard has a bone spur in his elbow. Syndergaard says no, but even though he was throwing 100 mph, he didn't look the same and his command was off. He gave up three walks to the Nationals - the most he's allowed in a game this season. Lefty Steven Matz is having issues with bone spurs. He was supposed to start Wednesday, but he might be out until August. Jacob deGrom has struggled and Matt Harvey has been good and bad.

It's not a good sign for the Mets when 43-year-old Bartolo Colon is their best pitcher. The Mets are in a rough part of their schedule that could define their season. They might get to the trade deadline in a huge hole, considering they play the Nationals, Cubs, Marlins and Nationals in their next few series.

Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski is warning that there are no quick-fix solutions. He says the Red Sox aren't playing well, and told reporters, "we are just going to have to snap out of it.''

What's going on with Boston? Plenty.

The rotation is ineffective. David Price, the ace, has had some good games, but his ERA is 4.68. Steven Wright is fine, but Rick Porcello is coming back to earth. Eduardo Rodriguez hasn't done much since returning from the disabled list, and the Red Sox still have injury-prone Clay Buchholz in the rotation because the prospects haven't developed. Adding to the problems is a thin bullpen, with an inconsistent Koji Uehara. Carson Smith, a relief pitcher acquired from Seattle in the offseason, is out with an elbow injury.

The Red Sox are in need of a catcher. They could use another bat in a lineup where David Ortiz, in his final season, is battling aching feet and the team has all it can do to keep him together. The Red Sox in the offseason traded four prospects to get closer Craig Kimbrel, so trading prospects might not be in the cards. In the next month, the Red Sox are going to have to decide how many problems they can fix in trying to catch the Orioles in the AL East. The rotation is the obvious choice, but how many teams have starters available?

There's Ervin Santana in Minnesota, Julio Teheran in Atlanta, Francisco Liriano in Pittsburgh, Sonny Gray in Oakland and Drew Pomeranz in San Diego. Now, here are answers to questions from the world of baseball:

Q: Will the Braves trade starter Julio Teheran before the Aug. 1 deadline?

A: This is going to be an interesting discussion for the next month. Teheran is valuable because he's 25 and a top-of-the-rotation pitcher with a team-friendly contract. He'll make $6.3 million next year, $8 million in 2018 and $9 million in 2019. The Braves have a ton of pitching prospects, so he could be a leader in the next couple of years. But, trading him would bring players that could move the rebuilding faster. Without question, the price for Teheran will be high.

Q: Assuming the Nationals need bullpen help, what are the chances they trade for one of the Yankees' three best, Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman?

A: The Nationals' bullpen could use depth and who knows if at age 35, Jonathan Papelbon can be the lock-down closer the Nationals need? The Yankees, though, aren't in any hurry to trade and the price will remain high, given the Cubs, Dodgers, Giants and Rangers, contenders with deep farm systems, are calling the Yankees for the same pitchers. The Nationals would have to pay dearly now for one of the Yankees' relief pitchers or hope that the market price drops as the deadline approaches.

Q: The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA and the Indians are looking good. Has the baseball team got staying power?

A: Yes, the Indians do, thanks to a rotation that has a Cy Young winner (Cory Kluber), nasty-stuff pitchers (Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer) and Josh Tomlin, a No. 5 command guy with terrific results. The bullpen was supposed to be a weakness, but manager Terry Francona has gotten a lot out of guys such as Joba Chamberlain, former Oriole Tommy Hunter, Jeff Manship and Dan Otero. Safe to say the Indians are looking for a bullpen arm. On offense, the Indians rank fifth in runs, seventh in home runs and second in stolen bases (58), led by Rajai Davis (21), Francisco Lindor (12) and Jose Ramirez (eight), who is playing left field in place of Michael Brantley, the Indians' best hitter on the disabled list.

Q: Are the San Francisco Giants as good as their record indicates?

A: Yes, and they are winning with their usual hard-to- describe chemistry. Whatever it is, the Giants have it, thanks to manager Bruce Bochy. They went into Monday night's game versus Oakland with 49 wins, the most in the National League. They are winning even though former National Denard Span, signed to be the leadoff hitter, looks lost at the plate and their yearly MVP, Hunter Pence, is on the disabled list. Their air- tight bullpen is going to get a boost when Sergio Romo returns from injury. Johnny Cueto, a free-agent starter, has been nearly flawless, but Jeff Samardzija was good at the start, but has been battling in the last month. Madison Bumgarner is his usual self. The pitcher to watch is 31-year-old Matt Cain, who is coming back from a hamstring injury. He had a 7.84 ERA in his first six starts and then a 1.59 ERA in four starts before going on the disabled list.