AL West: Angels running low on time

Baseball Betting Lines

08/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have any hopes of playing playoff baseball come October, now is the time to make a push.

When the Angels kick off a three-game series in Boston Tuesday night, they'll be eight games behind the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. And thanks to the ultra-competitive AL East division, they are also 12 1/2 games back in the wild card race.

Of course, the Halos have grown accustomed to running away with the division by now, given their AL West dominance over the past few seasons. But the landscape has indeed changed, and the Rangers have complemented their potent lineup with a bona fide ace in Cliff Lee.

The Angels did their best to mirror the Lee acquisition by trading for starting pitcher Dan Haren at the trade deadline. Although Haren has been as advertised, it hasn't translated over to the win column. In five starts with his new team, Haren has a solid 3.44 ERA but only a 1-3 record to show for it. In addition, the offense has scored a grand total of only six runs during his 34 innings.

Let's just say it hasn't gone unnoticed by Haren.

"The margin of error has been a little thin," he told the OC Register following Sunday's 4-1 loss to Toronto. "I did what I could with the situations that came up. By no means is it the offense's fault. I'm the one who went out there and gave up four runs and gave up the hits. The loss gets pinned on me."

Then, there's Jered Weaver, who has a 2.87 ERA and leads the majors with 182 strikeouts. However, he has a modest 11 wins in 25 starts as the offense hasn't done him many favors, either.

Angels hitters went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position on Sunday. As a team, they are hitting just .259 with runners in scoring position, down from a team-record .285 last season.

Manager Mike Scioscia sees his players pressing a bit too much in those situations.

"Situational hitting is important to this group and when we're struggling with it, you can see the effect it has on our offense," Scioscia said. "We've struggled with it and we've paid the price for it this season. Some guys are doing a terrific job with runners in scoring position. Some guys are really struggling with it and it's caught up to us at times."

The team kicks off a three-game series in Boston beginning Tuesday night, followed by a three-game set in Minnesota this weekend. The Angels won't have any time to catch their breath, as Tampa Bay comes to down Monday night.

Unlike the past few seasons, the Angels will have to scratch and claw their way through August and September in order to earn a playoff berth. But if the offense continues to leave the starting pitchers hanging, the window will soon be shut.

RANGERS' CRUZ CAN'T AVOID DL STINT

The good news for Nelson Cruz and the Texas Rangers is that Sunday's MRI on his left hamstring revealed no tear in the muscle. The bad news is that it did show enough inflammation to land the right fielder on the 15-day disabled list.

The injury occurred while rounding the bases during Saturday's 3-1 loss to Boston. Cruz said he didn't think a DL stint was necessary, though he understood the team's approach. This marks the third time this season Cruz has gone on the DL because of a hamstring issue.

"I'm not feeling any pain or anything," Cruz said on Monday. "I understand. I get it. Part of me doesn't want to be on the DL. I get the point. The point is it's better for me to miss a couple games now and play in September and October."

Cruz added that he'll spend some careful consideration on his offseason workout routine "so it doesn't happen again." In 77 games this season, he is hitting .320 with 16 home runs, 21 doubles and 64 RBI. He has a team-high .587 slugging average.

Infielder Joaquin Arias, who just completed a rehab assignment at Double-A Frisco, was activated from the disabled list to take Cruz's place on the active roster.

STRUGGLING A'S TRYING TO GET HEALTHY

August has not been kind so far to the Oakland Athletics (57-60), who are 5-9 for the month entering Tuesday night's game against Toronto. They are 10 games off the pace in the American League West, and 14 1/2 back in the Wild Card. As the A's try to figure things out during this seven-game homestand, they are also starting to get some guys back healthy.

Outfielders Conor Jackson and Travis Buck rejoined the team on Monday. Buck hasn't played a big league game since April 20th, as he has dealt with an oblique strain and leg soreness. Manager Bob Geren said Buck would be shuffled into the outfield based on matchups. Meanwhile, Jackson has spent the last six weeks recovering from a strained right hamstring. Now finally healthy, Jackson was slotted into the No. 3 hole in Monday's lineup.

To make room, prized prospect Chris Carter was sent back down to Triple-A Sacramento to continue to work on his swing. Since being called up last Monday, Carter was 0-for-19 at the plate with Oakland. He had 27 homers and 89 RBI before his promotion. Jeff Larish was also sent down to Sacramento.

In addition, the team is hoping All-Star closer Andrew Bailey can return by the end of next week. According to team reports, Bailey is progressing well in his recovery from a strained rib cage muscle, which has kept him out of game action since July 20th. After throwing a bullpen session on Sunday with no setbacks, he was scheduled to throw another on Tuesday.

"We're still a couple days away, but it's getting close," Bailey said. "Each and every day you're feeling better and now that I'm feeling good, it's just about getting back into baseball and game form."

MARINERS COURTING VALENTINE?

Multiple media reports have surfaced this week indicating that former New York Mets manager and current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine would be interested in the Seattle Mariners. Don Wakamatsu was fired last week and replaced by interim manager Daren Brown, who has guided the team to consecutive series victories.

Valentine's last managerial job was in 2009 with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan. Most recently, he has been tied to potential coaching gigs with Baltimore and Florida, both of which ultimately fell through. It has also been speculated that Valentine could replace Cubs' manager Lou Piniella when he retires at the end of the season, or Mets manager Jerry Manuel if he is let go.

According to the Seattle Times, a person familiar with Valentine's thinking said that Valentine believes the Mariners job "is among the most appealing jobs in baseball."

That's an interesting perspective, considering the team just set a franchise record in July for most losses in a month, going 6-22. Mariners' general manager Jack Zduriencik was the Mets' director of minor league operations during Valentine's stint as a Triple-A manager in the Mets' farm system.