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The American League West is shaping up rather nicely; with our Houston Astros sitting pretty atop of it. Not only are the Astros leading the way, currently, they are also the only team with a winning record, as we speak. Without further ado, here's how the West looks, right now.
- Houston Astros, 11-7
- Los Angeles Angels 9-10
- Oakland Athletics 8-12
- Seattle Mariners 7-11
- Texas Rangers 7-11
To start with the obvious; the Rangers are currently the bottom dwellers. They won only one game this week, the injury list is getting longer and longer, and in honesty, things really aren't looking good at all. That said, the Rangers did execute a great trade with the Angels, which sees the return of Josh Hamilton.
Hamilton won't single handedly spark the Rangers' lineup, but it's a big boost for a struggling team.
The Rangers posted a collective wRC+ of 86 this week and slugged a mere .335 -- their positional players were only worth a WAR 0.5. Their pitching wasn't much better; posting an ERA of 5.18 and walking over four men per nine. Both their hitting and pitching was bad and that will need to change.
The Mariners haven't quite gotten off to the start everyone expected them to. Widely viewed as World Series contenders, the Mariners haven't lived up the hype, not just yet. They won three games this week -- including Felix Hernandez's gem -- putting them within just one game of the A's.
The Mariners are renowned for their pitching, but their staff has gotten off to a slow start; posting an ERA of 3.83 this week. Offensively, they've been good. Or, should I say, Nelson Cruz has been good. Cruz has been so good this week, he has almost single handedly sparked their offense; collating a wRC+ of 114.
The injury bug has hit Oakland, too.
The A's lost Ben Zobrist this week, adding another name to an already long list of casualties. Like the majority of their Western counterparts, the A's won a mere two games this week and are now three games below five hundred.
Their hitting was average and their pitching was average. Both will need to improve.
The Angels got rid of Hamilton this week and they are delighted about it; which is hardly surprising given that they essentially disowned him when news of his relapse broke. Two weeks into the season and things are looking good. The Halos are playing five hundred ball, having won four games this week.
The Angel's offense struggled this week, but their pitching was sharp. They'll be looking for their bats to get hot, as they face off with Houston in a three game set later this week. An early series, which is somewhat important.
Last, but not least; the Astros. They've been hitting well -- posting a wRC+ of 114 -- and have been pitching brilliantly; particularly Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh. Life's good at the top, and a strong series against the Angels is needed, if they want to stay there.