In a weekly segment, we'll take a look around the AL West — what's happened so far, and what's on tap in the coming days.
1. Texas Rangers (67-49) — The Rangers are in a bit of a slide right now, having lost three straight games in The Bronx heading into today's matinee series finale, but luckily for them the rest of the division has been slumming around as well. The Rangers' bats have once again gone cold, and in Yankee Stadium of all places, which is more of a launching pad than Rangers Ballpark. Aside from Ryan Dempster's start on Monday, they've gotten good enough pitching performances to win games but the bats have been silent. Despite all of that, they still hold a six-game lead over the Oakland A's and Los Angeles Angels. Next up: Today, 12:05 p.m., at New York Yankees.
2. Oakland A's (61-55) — The A's have dropped three straight right along with the Rangers and are 3-7 in their last 10 games. Luckily for them, the Rangers haven't been able to create even more separation than there already is. The A's magic seems to be trending downward, and as many suspected it's beginning to seem as if their hot streak isn't going to be sustainable. Next up: Today, 7:10 p.m., at Kansas City Royals.
3. Los Angeles Angels (62-56) — The Angels have now won two straight and made up a little ground after falling as many as eight games out of first place, but they're still 4-6 in their last 10 and haven't been able to capitalize on the Rangers' recent woes in New York. Zack Greinke finally got a win as an Angel, so that's a plus for them. Next up: Today, 9:05 p.m., vs. Tampa Bay Rays.
4. Seattle Mariners (55-64) — Things haven't gone well for the Mariners all season, with the exception of that hot streak they reeled off a couple of weeks ago. But their fans can go away from this season happy now as Felix Hernandez pitched the first perfect game by a Mariners pitcher in history on Wednesday afternoon. It really was a thing of beauty that should relieve their fans overall sadness for quite some time. Congrats to the King. Next up: Friday, 9:10 p.m., vs. Minnesota Twins.
