Wild Wild West April 19, 2008
Posted by misterbaseball in LA Angels of Anaheim, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers.add a comment
The American League West only has four teams in its division, yet
it continues to have fierce competition among those teams each season.
The Angels have been the most successful team in recent years winning
the American League West in 2004, 2005 and 2007. But don’t rule out
the Mariners, A’s and
Rangers.
have a talented lineup and are now the 6th most valuable franchise in
baseball this last season. They possess a great closer in K-Rod, and legitimate number one starting pitcher in John Lackey and
tons of talent
in their lineup. With the addition of Gary Matthews and Tori Hunter
the past two off-seasons the Angels have a solid outfield defensive
team. Look for them to be in the playoff race and the favorites to win
the West.
valuable franchise, have had a lot of talented players leave their team
over recent years. A lot of it has been financial
reasons. Yet, they
continue to put a competitive club on the field each season. The loss
of Danny Haren will be huge this season, but it doesn’t mean this team
won’t be able to win. They won the division in 2006 and hope to
challenge the Angels this season.
you mention the Seattle Mariners one player should come to
mind….Ichiro. The Japanese import has been in the states since the
2001
season and has never had fewer than 206 hits in a season. More
exciting news in Seattle is their starting pitching. This off-season
they acquired Erik Bedard from the Baltimore Orioles. He will join
Felix Hernandez as a tough 1-2 combination for the future. The
Mariners are primed to have a solid season and be in the mix to win the
west.
The Texas Rangers have had some down
years recently and are trying to turn things around. They are still a
long way from competing for the American 
League West crown though. The
have a potentially explosive offense with SS Michael Young, 2B Ian
Kinsler, 3B Hank Blalock and Outfielders Josh Hamilton and Milton
Bradley. Most importantly though, this team needs to have some
pitchers step up and start winning ballgames for this team. If they
don’t it will be their fourth straight losing season.
Angels’ Lackey Elbow Concerns March 2, 2008
Posted by misterbaseball in LA Angels of Anaheim.add a comment
The Los Angeles Angels’ staff ace, John Lackey, is being cautious with
a tender elbow. The 6′6" right hander began feeling some tightness in
his elbow recently and isn’t expected to pitch until Wednesday or
Thursday next week. Lackey posted career highs in wins, innings
pitched and ERA last season. While this doesn’t appear to be anything
serious the Angels will keep a close eye on their staff ace.
