The AL West- the Angels Are About to Take Control

After playing in the doldrums for half a season, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have awoken in the AL West. Unlike the mythical Rip Van Winkle, who found things very different after his slumber, the Angels wipe the sleep from their eyes and see the same familiar faces in the AL West, all within their reach. The A's, Rangers, and Mariners have all seemingly been hanging around waiting for the Angels to join the chase, so much so that none of these teams bothered to break away from the AL West pack. The Angels are now poised to make them pay dearly for this folly.

Of the four American League West squads, only one will be post-season bound, as it would be silly to think that the wildcard could come from this division. Oakland's 50-45 record as of this writing, which leads the Angels by a game in the AL West, is only the seventh best mark in the American League, so it is going to take winning the AL West to get into the playoffs. The Angels have been on a tear since the calendar turned to July, winning all but one of their contests to come from seven games back in the AL West to where they now stand.