AL West Week 3 Review: Astros and A's Take The Lead, Rangers Surge, Angels Tumble, Mariners...Ugh

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 test this week on the road against an opponent worthy of the Astros: the Cleveland Indians. Then it's back to Houston to play the A's.

That was the first series win for the Astros in St. Petersburg in nearly a decade.

Athletics (10-9)

An ugly 11-1 loss ended the series against the Mariners, but the A's won three out of four and also won the series against the Rangers earlier in the week. They also managed to stay above .500 - the only team outside the Astros to do so in the AL West. The A's continue to play in the division in April and are on the road this week against the Angels and Astros.

Amid a busy week, the A's also announced they will reveal the location of their new stadium later this year.

Rangers (9-10)

They started the week losing a series in Oakland, then came home against a red-hot Royals club. It seemed a recipe for continued disaster, but instead the Rangers took all four games. That's baseball for you. The good news for the Rangers: they stay home all this week against the Twins and the Angels.

After all the concern about the Rangers bullpen, they allowed just one run all weekend.

Angels (8-12)

Ugly week. The Angels play one more tonight against the Blue Jays, a team that came into the series with just three wins. Now they have five. The Angels can at least salvage a split today. Earlier in the week, they lost three out of four to the Astros. Pitching, a concern since the season started, has actually held up pretty well, but the bats remain anemic. In four games against the Astros, they Angels scored seven runs (five in one game). They get a chance to impact the standings this week, playing the A's at home and the Rangers in Arlington.

Garrett Richards. Cam Bedrosian. Huston Street. The injuries are piling up for the Angels. But that doesn't excuse the quiet offense. Here's a guy drinking rum on the beach and contemplating these troubling issues.

Mariners (8-12)

Mariners fans, it's just April. Your team is only 3.5 games off the pace for a wildcard spot. That money Jerry Dipito spent is going to pay off eventually. Actually, this week would be a good time for that to start. The Mariners face the Tigers and Indians on the road.

At least that 11-1 win gave Mariners fans hope as they head into the coming week. Here. watch that Taylor Motter grand slam again.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

American League West Teams Ranked By Payroll 2017

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...
Read more

Weekend Long Reads: Mike Trout Is Exactly As Amazing As You Think He Is. Actually, More.

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...
Read more

Thursday April 20: Astros Widen Gap, Who Will Emerge To Challenge Them? Anyone? Anyone? Hello?

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. ...
Read more