And not much has changed …
Texas Rangers
To say that the injury bug has hit the Rangers would be an understatement. In just 2 weeks (OK, 2 weeks and a day), the Rangers have lost 4 of their key pitchers to injuries: starter Neftali Feliz (60-day DL, sprained ligament in left elbow), starter Derek Holland (15-day DL, shoulder fatigue), reliever-turned-starter Alexi Ogando (15-day DL, right groin strain), and the newest member relief pitcher Koji Uehara (15-day DL, strained right lat muscle).
Despite the injuries, the Rangers are still hold on to their lead in the West, but seeing that lead diminish from 5.5 games 2 weeks ago to only a 3-game lead today. At least the Rangers offense is still intact, though a bit lackluster these past couple of weeks. That lineup, when on, can make up for most pitching deficiencies.
For more on the Texas Rangers, visit Big Game Claws.
Los Angeles Angels
Well, the Angels seemed to have turned things around, haven’t they?
After a dreadful April, the Angels have gone 26-15 during the months of May and June. Since the end of April, the team, as a whole, has moved from 23rd in the majors in batting average to 12th, a large part due to rookie-sensation Mike Trout and Albert Pujols finally finding his swing, who has seen his average jump from .190 to .264 in just a month and a half.
A 2-1 series win at the beginning of the month certainly helped the Angels gain a bit of ground over their division rival. Over the next 2 weeks, the Angels will be visited by the Diamondbacks, Giants and Dodgers as Interleague Play continues.
Oakland Athletics
The A’s = A rollercoaster. I feel like everytime I check in on the guys in Oakland, they are either on a hot streak or a cold streak. There’s really no in between. So far Brandon Inge, Josh Reddick and Yoenis Cespedes have been bright spots for this team. Unfortunately, the rest of the offense hasn’t followed suit. As a team, they are basically last in pretty much all offensive categories in the AL.
A 2-1 series win over the Rangers (including a almost no-hitter by Jarrod Parker) and a sweep of the Rockies (their first sweep of the year) have highlighted the past 2 weeks. The A’s will take on the Padres, the Dodgers and Giants as interleague play continues.
For more on the Oakland Athletics, visit The Oaktown Breakdown.
Seattle Mariners
Highlights for the Mariners: 2-1 series win over the Angels and a no-hitter (via 6 different pitchers) against the Dodgers on June 8. Other than that, things haven’t been going well. Seattle has gone 4-7 the past two weeks, topped off with a sweep courtesy of the Padres.
As a result of their struggles, the team has made several roster moves of late, including moving Stephen Pryor and Mike Carp to the DL and sending Blake Beaven and Alex Liddi to the minors.
Over the next couple of weeks, the Mariners will face the Giants, Diamondbacks and Padres and can hopefully right the ship.
For more on the Seattle Mariners, visit Needle Ball.
