When September comes around you often hear the term “meaningful” baseball. A division once thought to be a weak division now has three out of the four teams in the AL West are playing baseball that matters.
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers are still the division leaders and I am starting to sound like a broken record.
The Rangers still hold a 5.5 game lead over the Oakland Athletics. They have won 7 out of their last 10 games and still lead the league in runs (704) and a .278/.339/.451 slash line.
At this point in the season I would be surprised if the Rangers did not take the division, they have an AL best record (82-55) and even though both the Angels and A’s have come close to catching them, it seems to be an impossible feat.
The Rangers will head to Tampa Bay this weekend to face the Rays, who are also in the playoff race, and then head home to take on the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners.
For more on the Texas Rangers, visit Big Game Claws.
Oakland Athletics
Surprise! It’s September and the A’s are still in the playoff race!
The A’s came within 3 games of the Texas Rangers, but after being swept by the Angels they find themselves back 5.5 games again. Before the sweep the A’s had won 9 in a row and have now won 7 out of their last 10. With the Yankees and Orioles tied in their division, they find themselves half a game out of the wild card race and 1.5 games ahead of the Rays.
The A’s lost Bartolo Colon for the rest of the season after he tested positive for PEDs, they lost Brandon Inge to a shoulder injury and now Brandon McCarthy will likely be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery after being hit in the head with a line drive. It’s not going to be easy for the A’s, they have a tough schedule ahead of them and will look to 4 rookies and Brett Anderson, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, to carry their starting pitching.
The A’s head off for a 7-game road trip, starting in Seattle for 3 and ending in Anaheim for 4 games. They then head back home to face the Baltimore Orioles.
For more on the Oakland Athletics, visit The Oaktown Breakdown.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Angels fell back 5.5 games from the A’s, but after a 3-game sweep against them they now find themselves 2.5 back from the A’s and 8 back from the Texas Rangers.
Mike Trout continues to be Mike Trout, hitting .330/.394/.563 with a league leading .421 wOBA.
Their ace Jered Weaver will miss his next start because of shoulder tendinitis, so we’ll see if that becomes a bigger problem for the Angels.
The Angels will face the Detroit Tigers at home this weekend and then the Oakland A’s come in for a 4-game series. They then head out on the road to take on the Kansas City Royals for 3 games.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners are more than likely done this season, but have the chance to be a huge spoiler for other teams (especially within the division). They are currently 15.5 games out of first place and 10.5 games out of the wildcard race, but are 6-4 in their last 10.
The Mariners have played much better baseball since returning from the All-Star break, going 31-20, but have not been able to gain ground because The A’s and Rangers have been just as hot.
The Mariners will face the Oakland A’s at home this weekend and then head off to Toronto and will finish their 6-game road trip in Texas.
For more on the Seattle Mariners, visit Needle Ball.
