What do we really know about the American League West?
Other than the fact it’s not very good, we don’t know much.
Over in the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers are clearly the class of the division and have been since the first day of the season. The San Francisco Giants seem to be a contender, and the Colorado Rockies can be hopeful after a solid run of baseball.
The situation is more confusing, and more fluid, in the AL West.
For the first few months of the season, the general state of the division was kind of akin to the unruly mass of dreadlocks that used to creep out from beneath the helmet or hat of Angels’ star Vladimir Guerrero – a mess in every direction.
So with the All-Star Game approaching, and Vlad having shorn his majestic mop in hopes of improving his hitting fortunes, surely the AL West has also conformed and developed into a stable race with a favorite, a contender, a hopeful.
Not exactly.
The West remains a muddled mess of mediocrity with three teams – the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners – that switch roles from week to week.
Only the Oakland A’s, one of the chic picks by “baseball experts” to win this season, seem to be out of contention.
Oakland’s demise was largely due to a talented but inexperienced pitching rotation that seemed overwhelmed by big league hitters. The expected offense from Matt Holliday and Orlando Hudson also never materialized. In fact, the plan to either milk Holliday for either a postseason berth or a big midseason trade seems to have backfired since the A’s have struggled and Holliday is hitting .274 with eight homers and 39 RBI.
But why hasn’t one of the other three taken control? Yes, the Rangers have led the division for a good portion of the season, but no one believes with their history of bad pitching that they can stay there. Each time it appears the Angels might be taking their usual spot atop the division, another player – usually a pitcher – goes down with injury.
And the Mariners? Nobody expected them to be there in the first place.
Yet, with two weeks before the All-Star break each of three teams can see that the AL West title is there for the taking.
A closer look:
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
If the Angels come back to win the AL West, as they seem to do every year, Mike Scioscia should be the unanimous pick as AL manager of the year. The Angels dealt with spring training injuries to three starters – John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar. Then they dealt with the tragic death of young pitcher Nick Adenhart. Then came season-ending injuries to top reliever Scot Shields and more time on the DL for Santana, Escobar, starters Dustin Moseley and Shane Loux and most recently reliever Jose Arredando.
Scioscia seems to keeping his pitching staff together with duct tape and Krazy Glue. The pitching of Joe Saunders (8-4, 3.66 ERA) and a revived Jered Weaver (8-3, 2.65), along with Matt Palmer (6-1, 4.70), has allowed the Angels to stay in the race.
Offensively, the Angels lead the AL in batting. Center fielder Torii Hunter is playing like an MVP, hitting .309 with 17 homers and 53 RBI. Speedy third baseman Chone Figgins is hitting .305 with 54 runs scored. His play has helped offset the staggering disappointment of second baseman Howie Kendrick, who was demoted to Triple A.
Yet the Angels have a sureness to them. It isn’t cockiness. It’s the confidence borne of winning the division four out of the last five seasons. They believe it’s theirs if not by right, by talent.
This week: The favorite
TEXAS RANGERS
Raise your hand if you thought the Rangers would be leading the division in late June. Anybody? … Anybody?
Looking at the Rangers starting rotation at the start of the season, that would be illogical. The ace is Kevin Millwood, who was 35-36 for the Rangers coming into this season with an ERA above 5.00. Behind him were the dregs of Vicente Padilla, Brandon McCarthy, Kris Benson and Scott Feldman.
But Rangers president Nolan Ryan questioned the toughness, the commitment and the conditioning of his pitchers. He demanded more running, more work, higher pitch counts and more.
And it has worked so far. Millwood (8-5, 2.65 ERA) seems rejuvenated, Padilla still might be insane, but he’s pitching better, and and the additions of talented youngsters Matt Harrison and Derek Holland have made the staff solid if not dominant.
Of course, we haven’t hit the dog days of summer when pitchers and plants wilt in the Texas heat. But pitching has carried the Rangers so far.
The Texas offense has struggled of late, even if the Mariners would kill for that slumping offense. The Rangers are hitting just .234 as a team, down almost 46 points from May, and the slugging percentages and on-base percentages are down.
The absence of Josh Hamilton, who’s set to return next week from abdominal surgery, is one reason. His presence should help Hank Blalock and Chris Davis.
This week: Contender
SEATTLE MARINERS
A few months into the season, the Mariners still don’t have the offense. Yes, Russell Branyan and his 19 homers and .302 batting average might be one of the biggest surprises in baseball. And Ichiro Suzuki is on pace for another season of 200 hits, despite spending the first eight games on the disabled list. He’s leading the AL in batting at .375 and seems to be reinvigorated after the mess of last season.
But the Mariners rank at or near the bottom in almost every offensive category, including runs per game (3.86), batting average (.260), slugging percentage (.399) and on-base percentage (.315).
On any given day, the bottom of the lineup can feature up to four players hitting below .220.
The Mariners have scored 287 runs and given up 304. Yet they are still around .500.
The Mariners figured to be sellers at this time looking to dump players such ahttp://affiliate.misitemgr.com/admin-bin/sitemgr/index.cgi?i_id=1;nmf_rpoint=;mode=nav#s Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn and Adrian Beltre for prospects. But could they be buyers trying to find a left-handed bat to put them over the top? This week’s trip to New York and Boston could be the deciding factor
This week: Hopeful
Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483
ryan.divish@thenewstribune.com
MLB POWER INDEX: (Last week’s rank in parentheses)
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (1): Andre Ethier becomes first Dodger to hit three homers in a game since the immortal Heep Seop Choi
2. Boston Red Sox (2): Jason Bay is becoming U.S. citizen because the bacon is better here than in Canada.
3. St. Louis Cardinals (8): President Obama to throw out first pitch at All-Star Game in Busch Stadium, though Tony La Russa wanted to bring in a reliever.
4. Detroit Tigers (7): Magglio Ordoñez cuts his hair and hits a home run a few days later. Trend or coincidence?
5. New York Yankees (3): Sorry, Nick Swisher, you can’t rock the Mohawk if you are hitting under .240 and not starting.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (4): J.J. Hardy’s hitting is so anemic it caused Prince Fielder to lose his appetite … for 30 seconds.
7. Toronto Blue Jays (9): It’s a big week for Canada: Roy Halladay says he’s ready to return to the rotation, plus the NHL draft.
8. Texas Rangers (5): Josh Hamilton could return to the lineup sometime next week, maybe he can pitch, too.
9. San Francisco Giants (15): Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain seen holding signs that read, “Will pitch for hitting help.”
10. Philadelphia Phillies (6): They are 1-22 when they score fewer than three runs. Why? Because their pitching is awful.
11. Los Angeles Angels (10): Vladimir Guerrero cut off his dreadlocks. Angels grounds crew missing a hedge trimmer.
12. New York Mets (12): Oliver Perez is ready to come back and pitch for the Mets. Fans already are booing.
13. Colorado Rockies (14): Remember Huston Street? He was a pretty good closer once and seems to be again.
14. Tampa Bay Rays (13): Scott Kazmir will be back soon, so which pitcher leaves the rotation, David Price or Andy Sonnanstine?
15. Minnesota Twins (11): Joe Mauer has dipped below .400. Now he’s got Ichiro lurking in the rearview mirror.
16. Chicago Cubs (18): Lou Piniella and Milton Bradley have a verbal altercation. Which leads to the question: “It took this long?”
17. Seattle Mariners (19): Which was a better steal in the offseason, closer David Aardsma (15 saves) or first baseman Russell Branyan (18 homers)?
18. Florida Marlins (16): They had a rare home sellout against the Yankees. Of course most fans were cheering for the visitors.
19. Atlanta Braves (20): Rumors persist that people want to trade for Jeff Francoeur. Perhaps Braves are the ones floating them.
20. Cincinnati Reds (17): Longtime pitching prospect Homer Bailey gets another chance to prove himself at the big-league level.
21. Chicago White Sox (21): Jose Contreras is looking like the Jose Contreras of old, rather than just old.
22. Pittsburgh Pirates (25): Ian Snell says he asked to be optioned to Triple-A (2-8, 5.36 ERA), but actually the fans asked first.
23. Baltimore Orioles (26): Brad Bergesen has become their most consistent pitcher, not exactly a tough task, but still …
24. Kansas City Royals (23): Sidney Ponson tested positive for an illegal stimulant at the WBC, from an appetite suppressant that obviously doesn’t work.
25. Houston Astros (28): Manager Cecil Cooper doesn’t like second-guessing decisions, especially the one to keep him around.
26. Oakland Athletics (29): Nothing screams lack of athleticism more than Jack Cust playing in the outfield.
27. Arizona Diamondbacks (24): Brandon Webb needs season-ending surgery, and the outfield is beat up. Wonder if A.J. Hinch likes managing now?
28. San Diego Padres (22): They tried to replace Jake Peavy in the rotation with Wade LeBlanc, which is why they dropped six spots.
29. Cleveland Indians (27): Mark DeRosa’s trade value is growing; so much so, he’s keeping a packed suitcase in the clubhouse.
30. Washington Nationals (30): A reality check from OF Willie Harris “In my heart, I’m an everyday player. But in my contract, I’m a utility guy.”
Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483
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