AL West Update

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AL West Update
By Tom Brew
Inspin.com
Contributing Writer


It’s a week until the trading deadline, and it’s entirely possible that the landscape in the American League West isn’t going to change all that much. The cost of doing business seems too high for the Angels, the A’s aren’t about to part with youngsters, and the Mariners aren’t sure what they have, good or bad.

That’s good news for the Texas Rangers, who may be playing better than anyone in the AL West anyway. Plus they get the best late-July pick-up of them all without giving up a thing. Right-handed starter Adam Eaton, their big offseason acquisition who’s been out all year following finger surgery, is ready to rejoin the rotation, probably as early as Tuesday against the New York Yankees. That’s huge.

Huge because Eaton has proven to be one of basebal l’s better pitchers in the past few years. He had a 47-41 career record with the San Diego Padres and won some big games in tough spots for them. He’ll be a huge help to a Ranger rotation that could use another live arm down the stretch.

The Rangers have survived this current 11-game road trip through four cities that ends Sunday in Chicago. These sort of late-summer trips have derailed many Texas teams throughout the years because the Rangers always have played so much better at home than on the road. That seems to be different now. The Rangers are 26-22 on the road this season entering Sunday, which is even better than their home record (25-25). They are 6-4 on this current trip through Baltimore, Toronto, Boston and Chicago and have Vicente Padilla (10-5, 4.15 ERA) on the mound Sunday against Chicago’s Jon Garland (9-3, 5.12 ERA).

Padilla has won his last four starters and has been a good bet lately. Sportsbook odds favor the White Sox in this game because Garland has been good himself lately, but Padilla has been great. He has allowed only seven earned runs in those late four starts. He also shut out the White Sox in June, allowing only three hits over eight innings.

ANGELS’ BATS GOING QUIET: The Angels have been a disappointment at the plate all year, save that 13-1 stretch earlier this month when they hit .322 with 24 home runs and 93 runs in that 14-game stretch.

But they’re back at their early season woes again.
The Angels, who are two games behind Oakland in the American League West, had six hits Friday and seven Thursday, both losses to the Royals. They're batting .231 (32 for 138) with two home runs and 15 runs in their last four games, rekindling calls for them to acquire a power bat before the July 31 trade deadline. "If we don't change the dynamics of the team, it doesn't mean we're not going to reach our goal," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "Obviously, our
chances are better if we add a bat. The bottom line is the offense we've seen in the last three or four weeks is enough for us to reach our goal and go deep into the season. "But it's contingent on things that are not proven quantities, kids like Kendry Morales, Mike Napoli and (Maicer) Izturis. They've been holding their own so far, and that needs to continue. The scary thing is the injury that takes one guy away for three weeks or a month. That's something we might not have the depth to absorb."

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