Back on the endless quest to be the team that loses to the Yankees, the Angels are still trying to catch up to Minnesota, while the Rangers and Orioles are catching up to the Angels. It's this neverending chase that's probably only going to end when the proverbial music stops.
The Angels might be the strangest case, though. They're not working with a hell of a lot, and have accumulated a ragtag team of acquisitions, cheap bench guys, and people you wouldn't expect to be playing for a competing roster, to help them fight the Twins. So far, the acquisitions of Brandon Phillips and Justin Upton have been working out well for them, and even bit players like Eric Young and Tyler Skaggs are being pushed into high gear.
The pitching is still problematic, as despite Parker Bridwell doing a pretty nice job, the other options of Ricky Nolasco, Jesse Chavez and Andrew Heaney are far from exceptional. The good news is...Garrett Richards SEEMS TO BE coming back! He started a game a few days ago, it went...alright. Like, good for him, bad for the team. So the bottom line is that if the ace, if Garrett Richards, can get back to his full form in this last month of the season....maybe they'll be alright?
I don't know, it's hard to say. The momentum that the Twins have right now counteracts the Angels' momentum, as the Angels have been losing games and the Twins...haven't. The Twins get to play the Padres this week, while the Angels are probably gonna have 3 taken away from them by the Astros. So the way this schedule's working out...might not happen. But I'm impressed with how far they came this year, and I'm impressed by their desire to have a team with great performances that are not just limited to Mike Trout.
Coming Tonight: He may not be doing too spectacularly since the trade, but at least they can go back to selling Panda hats at AT&T Park.
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