Week 1: Angels on Top, Offer Plenty of Drama

The Astros do the Jekyll and Hyde, the A's break (almost) even, the Mariners look more like Submariners, the Rangers are upsetting the faithful

Angels (5-2)

The Angel split their opening four-game series on the road with the A's, then swept the Mariners. The bad news: ace Garrett Richards headed to the DL with a strained right biceps. The team is optimistic it's not a long-term issue, however teams are always optimistic it's not a long-term issue. 

But mostly, Opening Week for the Angels was about drama. Orange County native Danny Espinosa hit a 3-run homer in the ninth to win Game 2, Back home against the Mariners, Mike Trout lost an epic 14-pitch duel with Felix Hernandez but hit a 2-run homer in the 7th that put the Halos ahead for good. But all of that was just a warm-up to the epic 9th inning comeback in game 3 of the series, in which the Angels scored seven  runs capped by Cliff Penington driving in the winning run.

 Astros (4-3)

The Astros took three out of four against the Mariners, then lost two out of three against the Royals. On opening day, ace Dallas Keuchel threw seven shutout innings. Right fielder George Springer hit a homer in the opener, then in Game 3 hit a score-tying double and a walkoff homer, Even in a loss to the Royals, Keuchel gave up just one run in seven innings. And the week ended with a walkoff walk earned by Evan Gattis. So, a bit more Jekyll than Hyde. 

Athletics (3-4)

The A's followed up the split with the Angels by losing two of three against the Rangers in Arlington. In the one win against the Rangers, pitcher Kendall Graveman took a no-hitter into the 7th, out dueling Yu Darvish. Andrew Triggs pitched well earlier in the week against the Angels. And in off-the-field news, Sonny Gray is on his way back. The A's look more intriguing than ever. 

Rangers (2-4)

As noted, the Rangers won the series against the A's, but were swept at home by the Indians. Still, Darvish and Cole Hamels pitched well, Rougned Odor homered three times, and outfielder Nomar Mazara was named AL Player of the Week. He hit two homers, including a Grand Slam, and drove in nine runs. If you've going to win just two games, at least the Rangers did it with style. However, fans in DFW used to winning went from "Hey, it's Opening Day" to "Hey, what is happening?" in record time, 

Mariners (1-6)

Well, it;s early. But it's a zero sum game - someone wins, someone has got to lose. That's why you watch baseball. And I expect Mariners fans will still watch, although the 9th inning Angels comeback Sunday left at least one fan contemplating poo pie and heart break. The Mariners did more than any other team to shake up their roster in 2017, but they just look shaky. At least the lone victory came in dramatic fashion, with Jarrod Dyson and Jean Segura driving in the winning and insurance runs in the 9th inning. 

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