The A.L. West Race Is Over...Someone Forgot To Tell Texas

Well, the American League Playoff matchups have been set. New York will host Detroit and Anaheim will host Boston. Wait a minute. Didn't someone pass the news on to the Texas Rangers? Don't they know they don't need to play anymore? That their season is done? Obviously not because the Rangers are only 3 1/2 games back after their 6-4 win over Toronto in Arlington on Wednesday night. Couple that with the Angels 3-0 loss up in Seattle and we have a pennant race. And guess what? The city of Dallas may have more to cheer for in October other then the Cowboys.
The Rangers have 29 games remaining. Three games vs. Baltimore, six games vs. Seattle, seven games vs. Oakland, three games vs. Cleveland, three games vs. Tampa Bay and seven games vs. Anaheim. The Angels have 30 games left. Four games vs. Kansas City, three games vs. Seattle, three vs. Chicago, four games vs. New York, three games vs. Boston, seven games vs. Texas and six games vs. Oakland. The Rangers have won nine out of twelve games vs. the Angels this year and they are 24-13 vs. the A.L. West while the Angels are 18-23 vs. the A.L. West.

The Angels have had an unbelievable amount of bad luck with injuries this year and even though they are starting to get healthy and just added pitcher Scott Kazmir, something just doesn't seem right. Usually the Angels have good sticks on the field and this year isn't any different, but it's the durability of the starting pitching and the performance they are getting from their staff as a whole. They are hitting .289 as a team but their batting average against their pitching is an unusually high .279. Their team pitching ERA is an absurd 4.79 and doesn't Brian Fuentes scare the crap out of you as your closer with an ERA of 4.09? As for the Rangers, true they are only hitting .260 as a team, but they have slugged 197 homeruns while the Angels have put up a pedestrian 149. Texas' pitching staff has a half run better ERA at 4.29 and their closer, Frank Francisco has an ERA that is actually below 4.00, 3.32 to be exact.

Here are two intangibles that will separate Texas from Anaheim when it is all said and done. Number one is that guy, you remember his name, Josh Hamilton? Yea he is starting to hit homeruns again and when he gets hot, he hits them in bunches. Number two is that the Rangers are hungrier then the Angels. While the Angels make the playoffs every year it seems like for the past decade, the Rangers have not made the postseason since 1999 when they lost to the eventual World Champion Yankees. They have an influx of young players and veterans that want one more shot at winning a pennant.

We will know for sure by October 4th and don't be surprised if the Texas Rangers have surpassed the Anaheim Angels for the American League West crown. Remember, you heard it hear first!

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