It’s amazing to think that in early September there is only one true playoff race in Major League Baseball. And no, we aren’t talking about the AL East race (both Boston and New York will make the playoffs, it’s just a matter of who takes the Division and who takes the Wild Card), we are talking about the AL West race between the Angels and the Rangers. As of September 8th, the Rangers lead the Angels by 2 1/2 games. What truly makes this race so interesting is the fact that it seems like the Angels keep playing themselves back into contention no matter how much the Rangers try to get some distance between the two teams. Within the past month we have seen the Rangers take both 6 and 4 1/2 game leads, seemingly putting the Angels in their rear view mirror. Each time, though, the Angels have found a way back into the race. While the Rangers have played better baseball since the All Star Break (the Angels are 28-23 while the Rangers are 30-22), the Angels have played their way back into the race the last three weeks by winning 12 of 18 games, while the Rangers have lost 11 of their last 20. During that time, the Angels have had a six and a three game winning streak, while the Rangers have not won more than two games in a row at any time. Stat’s don’t tell the entire story, though. To the Rangers credit, they have not let their lead dip below 2 1/2 games. Not only have the Rangers won the games they had to win, but the Angels also lost close games where their offense didn’t hold up their end of the bargain and let close games slip away. With less than four weeks remaining in the season, the Angels need to win more close games in order to catch the Rangers. The Halos have 19 games left in the season: a three game series against the Yankees (who they always play strong), six games against the A’s, and three road games against both Baltimore and Toronto. Texas has 18 games left: six games against Oakland, six against Seattle, and three against Cleveland, before the Angels and Rangers meet for the final three games of the season in Anaheim. While Texas seems to have the easier schedule, the Mariners took three of their seven recent games against the Angels, meaning that they are still playing to their highest intensity. It may come down to the final three games of the season before we see a clear winner. Regardless, this is the best division race to watch in all of baseball.
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