The American League West

The A's evened up the series against the Astros with a 2-1 win as Andrew Triggs struck out nine over seven innings - but they'll have to solve the Dallas Keuchel riddle this afternoon to win the series. The Rangers  evened up the series at home against the Angels with a 6-3 win as Carlos Gomez hit for the cycle and Yu Darvish struck out 10 over six innings. The Mariners find themselves in the rubber match against the Indians in Cleveland today after losing a close one, 4-3, last night despite homers by Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager.  The Astros lost but got a good piece of news: Joe Musgrove  pitched very well through 6  1/3 innings, giving up just one earned run.  Jesse Chavez, who has been the best Angels starter, had a tough outing in the loss to the Rangers that ended the team's five-game winning streak. Astros (15-9) Both Musgrove and Charlie Morton pitched well in this series, which is key to the long-term success of the team....

The Mariners, after winning a series in Detroit, took the first of a three-game set against the Indians in Cleveland - all of those words together in that order seemed impossible four days ago. The Angels won their fifth in a row, taking the first game in a weekend series against the Rangers behind a three-run shot by Albert Pujols and a good bullpen effort over the last three innings. The Astros mashed against a struggling A's pitching staff and starter Charlie Morton struck out a career-high 12 batters. The Rangers  look for answers today with Yu Darvish  on the mound. Things change fast: This time last weekend, the A's were in the midst of taking three-out-of-four from the Mariners. Astros (15-8) Starter Charlie Morton hit a batter, gave up a single, then gave up a home run and was down three in the first inning. But from there onward, he looked like the third starter the Astros desperately need, mowing down the A's, giving up just one more run and striki...

So this is why baseball. The Angels , who seemingly had no pitching, ran the table against the A's this week behind solid pitching and now find themselves at .500. The A's  not named Yonder Alonso suddenly can't score and head into Houston riding a four-game losing streak and a 3-6 road record. The Mariners nightmarish April looks a lot less spooky after they win a series in Detroit.  The mighty Astros give the rest of the division hope they can be caught whenever someone other than Dallas Keuchel takes the mound. Recaps and links below. Astros (14-8) The Astros lost the series against the Indians, a match-up of two of the three first place AL teams. A key moment came when Jose Altuve , who had been successful in eight of eight stolen base attempts, got thrown out in the 9th attempting to steal second against Indians closer Cody Allen. The next two hitters got singles, meaning the failed steal attempt likely cost the Astros the game. Indians shortstop Francisco Lin...

The A's held second place the longest of any team so far this season, but got knocked out (by a couple percentage points) by the Angels last night in a game where Sean Manaea  had low velocity and left with shoulder tightness after just two innings. The Mariner's got more bad news - Mitch Haniger is joining Felix Hernandez on the DL - but they evened the series against the Tigers behind a stellar performance by starter  James Paxton . The Angels beat the A's in a more-or-less normal way, no late inning fireworks, to grab second place. The Rangers finally solved the Twins behind Cole Hamels, a solid bullpen (!)   and an offensive explosion. In the week's battle of first place teams, the Indians evened up the series with the Astros . Astros (14-7) The Indians jumped out early on the Astros, scoring three off starter Lance McCullers in the first inning. From then on it was a seesaw affair, with the Astros getting two-run homers from both Evan Gattis an...

The Mariners horror show April got even scarier with a 19-9 loss to the Tigers in Detroit, during which Felix Hernandez  experienced a dead arm. The Angels continued to not hit the ball through most of the game, but came up with enough in extra innings to beat the A's 3-1. The disappointed A's can at least appreciate the fact they got a shutout starting pitching performance from Jesse Hahn and the fact both Sonny Gray and Kendall Graveman  should return to the rotation soon. The Rangers guaranteed a loss in the series at home against the Twins by losing their second in a row, 8-1, but look to avoid the sweep tonight with Cole Hamels on the mound. The Astros continue to fly high above everyone else at the top of the standings, taking the first game of a three-game set against the Indians. Astros (14-6) The Astros have the best record in the American League. Last night,. Dallas Keuchel pitched another gem, a complete-game, low-zone clinic against a tough Indi...

The Angels have been the drama team so far in the AL West , with late inning comebacks, plenty of close games and whatever Mike Trout does pretty much every night. Even by their standards, last night was a good one. It even featured Blue Jays third basemen Chris Coghlan avoiding a flying shard off the bat of Albert Pujols. In the only other AL West game last night, the Rangers saw their four-game winning streak (all against the Royals) come to an end at home against the Twins. More below, as well as links. Astros (13-6) Dallas Keuchel takes the mound as the Astros begin a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians in a battle of first place teams. What more do you want, man? MLB offers a long look at the Astros-Indians matchup,. Athletics (10-9) An off day, but with lots of good news for the A's. Sonny Gray could be back up by early May . Kendall Graveman could be back this week . The way the young pitchers have started the season, a rotation of Gray, Gravema...

So that was interesting. Other than the top spot - locked down by the Astros since April 13 - it was a merry-go-round in the AL West standings. And who finished the week at No. 2? The Oakland Athletics , the king of baseball's "Least Likely To, But You Never Know" division (which also includes the Tampa Bay Rays ).  The A's did A's things, like calling up pitchers from the minors who haven't started a game in seven years and winning, going on to win five in a row and then getting whacked 11-1. The other notable move up this week came from the Rangers, who ended a dismal road trip, came home and swept the Royals. Team recaps and links below. Astros (13-6) The Astros won both series last week, which is becoming the norm. They beat the troubled Angels at home and a good Rays team on the road. Starting pitching beyond Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers remains an issue. But they are at another level right now in comparison to the rest of the division. Big t...

If money changes everything, then how much does it affect your position where it counts - in the standings? The 2017 team payroll numbers are now available. Several sources exist, I went with the numbers from Spotrac. But before getting into what each American League West club is spending, let's look at the money vs. results for the past few years. Return On Investment In the AL West Here's what the American League West clubs spent by team last season. These numbers include the active 25-man roster, plus money wrapped up in players on the DL and money paid to players no longer on the team. The money spent on active players is in parentheses. Los Angeles Angels - $180.7 million ($89.8 million) Texas Rangers - $168.5 million ($134.7 million) Seattle Mariners - $154.7 million ($131.8 million) Houston Astros - $114.7 million ($75.4 million) Oakland Athletics - $99.9 million ($27.8 million) And the final 2016 standings: Texas Rangers: 95-67 Seattle Mariners : 86...

Astros (12-6) The Astros lost for just the second time since April 10. They jumped out to an early lead against 13-year-old Blake Snell - all right, he's really 24, but just look at the dude - but the Rays came back for a 6-3 win. It's been said before and will be said again: the back end of the rotation is the Astros main (heck, maybe only) big problem. Charlie Morton got knocked around last night, we shall see what Joe Musgrove brings to the mound today against the Rays' Matt Andriese, The box,.  A.J. Hinch explains why he likes a l eft-handed hitter in the 2-hole , even with a lefty on the mound. Athletics (10-8) The A's keep this up and we will be headed toward a Battle of the Rebuilds between the Astros and A's - something that will keep nerds up all night flaming each other with comments and posting long, detailed explanations on how the analytical approach taken by Billy Beane and David Forst is superior to that taken by Jeff Luhnow , and vice ...

Let's start at the bottom today. Angels (7-11) First to worst. The Angels got there by losing, at home, to a team (the Toronto Blue Jays) that came in the series with a 3-12 record, the worst start in club history and the worst start by any team ever that played in the playoffs the previous year. In another words, a bad ballclub  But they beat the Angels in 13 innings. Jesse Chavez, the 8th pitcher used by the Angels and typically a starter, gave up the game-winning home run. The Angels have now lost nine of their last 10 games Mariners (7-11) After a bad start and then a run up to second place by winning series against the Rangers and Marlins, the Mariners are now back in last. They lost their second game in a row against the A's, basically a pitching duel that the veteran Hisashi Iwakuma lost to the young Sean Manaea. The formerly dominant Dan Altavilla has been demoted to Triple A Tacoma. Rangers (7-10) Even if you are out of last place by a half game, you ar...

How weird are the Oakland Athletics? That's a rhetorical question. They are very weird. Last night, they put a 32-year-old pitcher on the mound, a guy just called up from Nashville and who hadn't started a major league game in seven years. He went up against the Mariners and pitcher who hadn't given up a run in 23 innings. And so, of course, the A's won. There's a drummer out there that only A's management can hear. I mean other than the one they bang at the Coliseum. More on each team below, with links.   Astros (11-5) Lance McCullers followed a gem by Dallas Keuchel with one of his own, going 6 2/3 and allowing no runs. He also struck out eight. And how about Chris Devenski ? He gave up a run, but he pitched 2 1/3, struck out four and threw 31 strikes in 39 pitches. The Astros have steamrolled the American League West (except arch-nemesis the Rangers, who they haven't played yet), Now it's on to St. Petersburg, Fla,. and a good challenge against ...

The Astros continue to distance themselves from the pack. After beating the Angels on Wednesday night behind another precision performance from Dallas Keuchel, the Astros are three games ahead of the A's and already five games ahead of their bitter rival, the Rangers. They have the most wins in the American League and a fired up fan base. Which team in the sub-.500 group can emerge to challenge them? A look at each club and links below. 1. Astros (10-5) The starting rotation is really the only major concern for the Astros at the moment. Keuchel looks like Diego Velaquez out there, a controlled master painting the corners, changing speeds, keeping everyone off balance,. Lance McCuller and Charlie Morton have looked good so far, but the four and five slots are troubling. That said, they are a 10-5 ball club with this lineup. In the short term, they have earned at least a split in the four-game series with the Angels and go for the series win today with McCullers on the mound. ...

The standings remain tightly packed, to be expected in April. Essentially, everyone is beating up on every one else, as all five teams have primarily played in the division. The Astros remain the only team over .500. The Angels ended their six-game losing streak with another solid starting pitching performance and, you know, hitting the ball. The Athletics continue to look sneaky dangerous with great pitching performances from their young staff. The Mariners avoided getting no-hit by a combination of three Miami Marlins pitchers, but they waited until the 9th inning to end the only drama in a 5-0 loss. Recaps and links below. Angels 5, Astros 2 Ricky Nolasco went six solid innings for the Angels, and the bullpen pitched three scoreless to wrap up the first Angels win in a week. The bats came alive, with homers from Andrelton Simmons and Albert Pujols (a three-run monster off starter Joe Musgrove that went over the ConocoPhillips sign and put the Angels ahead for good). They also go...

In a division that so far stars the Astros and a cast of four supporting sub-.500 teams, the Mariners have moved from the worst of the four to tying the free fallin' Angels as the best. The momentum of last weekend's sweep of the Rangers carried into Monday, where the Mariners took the first of three from the Miami Marlins. In the Battle of Who Doesn't Want To Be In Last Place, the Rangers took the first game from the Athletics. Recaps below. Mariners 6, Marlins 1 Still strange to see Ichiro Suzuki playing against the Mariners. But it was all Mariners on Monday night. Ariel Miranda pitched an absolute gem, throwing seven scoreless innings. Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz homered back-to-back in the 1st inning, and Taylor Motter launched a beauty in the 5th. The box. Astros 3, Angels 0 Maybe those vampires walking through the valley are actually go South down the 5, because someone seems to have drained the Angels of the will to hit. Other than Mike Trout. In fact...

Two weeks into the season and the Astros have assumed the position most experts predicted they would have in October. The only question now is: Who can catch them? Because other than an obvious issue mentioned below, they look strong. But that's why they play the games. The Mariners proved the other big winner this week, moving out of last and sweeping the Rangers. More details on all five American League West teams - and a look at where every team is playing this week - below. Astros (8-4) They took over first place in the American League West and also have the second best record in the American League behind the Baltimore Orioles. The bats have heated up, they are young, they have one of the best starting pitchers in baseball and they've got a front office with a plan for sustained success. But...starting pitching, man. Dallas Keuchel has already taken the mound three times and looks almost Sandy Koufaxian. Lance McCullers looks OK in the second slot of the rotation, but...

Political junkies and stat fanatics have long read the 538 site, where the famed statistician Nate Silver serves as editor-in-chief. The site has been a Mike Trout fan, but this month they laid down some startling statistics. Basically, he's the next best thing to Babe Ruth. Literally. Based on Trout's Wins Above Replacement, he's second all-time only to Ruth. They also take a look at how Trout adjusts when pitchers develop new approaches to getting him out. The short version: The new approach doesn't work very long. You can read the whole thing here . Despite rumors of its demise, baseball, as it turns out, is doing just fine, thank you. For the start of the new season, Forbes ran down the estimated value of all 30 Major League Baseball teams,.The average value of all the teams is $1.54 billion. That's almost 20 percent more than 2016. Four of The American League West teams are in the Top 14. You can probably guess the fifth. But, hey, the value of the A's in...

The American League West already is the tightest race in the American League, with three teams within one game of each other. No surprise there, except the fact the Athletics are one of them. The Rangers, after taking a series from the Angels, are just 1.5 off the pace. After a weekend in Kansas City, the Angels fly to Houston for a Week 3 series between the current top two teams - although who knows what the standings will look like by Monday? Recaps and links to good reads below. Rangers 8, Angels 3 The Angels lost their first series, and at home. The Rangers won their second one - both against division opponents (they took two out of three from the A's last week). But that's just horse race reporting! The largest issue for the Angels, now that the gauzy haze from those comeback victories has dissipated a bit, is what everyone knew the largest issue would be: pitching . My trusty calculator indicates the Angels staff has given up 50 runs through the first 10 games and 21 ...

Astros 10, Mariners 5 The nightmarish start for the Mariners continued Wednesday as they blew a five-run lead over the Astros to notch their 8th loss in 10 games. That's a .200 winning percentage - but it's not even the worst in the American League, thanks to the 1-7 Toronto Blue Jays . The Mariners led into the 7th, but then the wheels came off, with reliever Dan Altavilla giving up three runs, including a wild pitch that allowed Carlos Correa to score. The Astros, with bats waking up, are closing in on the Angels. The two teams meet in Houston next week. The box . Rangers 8, Angels 3 The most amazing thing about this game is that the Angels didn't do something amazing. Perhaps fans should have flapped their arms harder . This was the first loss for the Angels at the Big A this season. The Rangers (finally) got a quality start from A.J. Griffin  and home runs from Carlos Gomez, Mike Napoli and Elvis Andrus. No miracle for the Angels, but of course Mike Trout hom...

Angels 6, Rangers 5 Another game, another ending that involved a horde of Angels jumping and hugging around home plate. And this time they won on a 10th inning walkoff...bunt single? Yes, indeed. A squeeze bunt by catcher Carlos Perez that scored left fielder Cameron Maybin. As Rangers first baseman Mike Napoli watched the bunt slowly roll up the first base line, hoping it would go into foul territory, it was the sort of moment that made you wonder: What exactly have the Rangers done to tick off the baseball gods? And, hmm, what have the Angels done to please them? Rally Monkey? Fans flapping their arms in the stands? No one seems to know. Baseball moves in mysterious ways. One thing for sure: The first-place Angels lead the league right now in giving their fans return on investment. Halos fans are talking magic . Rangers fans are talking alternative dimensions . Rangers manager Jeff Bannister is talking change. After watching Sam Dyson blow his second save of the season, he ...

Athletics 2, Royals 0 I watched the A's play the Royals in their home opener to catch Jharel Cotton pitch, and he did not disappoint. Why? Screwball, that's why. Who does that anymore? Jharel Cotton does that. He struggled in his first outing against the Angels. But against the Royals, he located pitches with precision and worked in his screwball with devastating effect. Aided by the afternoon shadows at Kauffman Stadium, Cotton struck out the side in the 5th inning, mowing down Brandon Moss, Paulo Orlando and Alcides Escobar. He rang up the latter two on three straight pitches. He ended up allowing just two hits in 7 innings. Santiago Casilla, still throwing fire at age 36, and Sean Doolittle  finished it up with a scoreless inning each. Both also struck out the side, giving the A's staff 12 strikeouts for the game. "That's probably the best we've seen him pitch," manager Bob Melvin understated about Cotton.  The box .  Mariners 6, Astros 0...

The Texas teams hit the road, visiting the best coast, The Angels attempt to stay on top, although some already are pouring cold water on the team’s Week 1 success. Dude, lighten up! The Mariners look to turn it around at home while the Rangers look to turn it around away from home. We’re just getting started here, people. Angels. Hosting Rangers, then travel to Kansas City Astros: On the road all week in Seattle, then Oakland Athletics: In Kansas City, then home to host Astros Mariners: Home all week, hosting the Texas teams – Astros, then Rangers Rangers: Leaving the Lone Star State for Los Angeles, then Seattle 

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 too...