There are two teams battling for the postseason in the AL West; the Texas Rangers and the Oakland A’s. Currently the Rangers are in first place and lead the A’s by two and a half games, but the A’s currently hold a wild card spot in the American League. Both teams have what it takes to make the playoffs, it’s just a matter of division or wild card.
The Texas Rangers have been on a tear lately, going 7-3 in their last 10 games and since the All Star Break they ae 20-12. While their schedule has been on the easier side, they are taking advantage and winning the games they should be winning. They’ve been getting contributions from key players including Adrian Beltre who is batting .327 on the season with 26 homeruns and 78 RBI. Ian Kinsler is also a big part of the Rangers success as they really struggled when he missed time on the disabled list; he’s batting .272 with 10 homeruns and 54 RBI. As the season winds down, the Rangers will face the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Oakland A’s (2 series), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2 series), Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, and Houston Astros. The last month of the season is going to be a tough one for the Rangers as they play some pretty good teams. They do, however, finish the season against the Astros and Angels which could work to their advantage depending on what the A’s do. The Rangers have also added Travis Blackley to their starting rotation, and he made his first start for them on Tuesday as he pitched four innings and gave up two earned runs. The Rangers are on a roll, and they hope it continues and leads to a division title.
While the Rangers have been on a hot streak, the defending AL West Champs have been rather cold as they are 5-5 in their last 10 and are 15-16 since the All Star Break. The A’s have also lost five of their last seven series and are 9-12 over that span. Despite their recent play the A’s have a two and a half game lead in the wild card. The A’s are struggling in all areas of the game and are coming off a disappointing series loss to the Seattle Mariners as they lost two of three, both of which they had a lead in. Oakland has a few tough series coming up right now, but their September schedule is much easier than the Rangers. The A’s schedule is as follows: Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas rangers (2 series), Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins (2 series), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2 series), and they finish the season in Seattle against the Mariners. Some key players are out with injury right now which isn’t ideal for a team in the middle of a pennant race. Derek Norris, who has been swinging the bat well, suffered a fractured toe on Tuesday night and his status for the season is unknown, Coco Crisp has been battling wrist problems, but is working his way back to the everyday lineup which is needed for this team. One of the bright spots for the A’s recently has been Sonny Gray who made his major league debut about three weeks ago. The young pitcher has been phenomenal for the green and gold. Brett Anderson is also expected to return soon which will benefit the rotation or bullpen, wherever they decide to put him; especially with Bartolo Colon being placed on the disabled list. Josh Reddick is also getting an MRI after straining his right wrist, the same injury that landed him on the DL earlier this season. The A’s hope to turn things around and get back to playing good baseball to overtake the Rangers in the West once again.
The series between these two teams will be very important in September, just as they were last year. It’s impossible to forget how the West was won in 2012 as the A’s shocked the world and won the division on the last day of the season in remarkable comeback fashion. If the season were to end today, both teams would be in the playoffs, but only one can win the division. They both have an excellent chance at making the postseason this year; one as the division champs the other as a wildcard. As it did last season, the AL West race will go down to the wire and may the best team win.