The Rangers have lost 7 of their last 10, and only lost a game and a half in the standings. The just got swept by the East-Leading Rays, but have lost NO ground in their quest to take their first Division crown in a decade.
The Angels, on the other hand, have had their fair share of obsticles. Loss of offensive weapons Guerrero and Figgins to Free Agency, loss of Morales to injury, Brandon Wood, the inability to ever trade for a bat to replace Morales, and long cold streaks at the plate by everyone on the team.
Even so, this team has stayed around .500 all season long, and has never really fallen all the way out of the West race.
The only problem? They are playing like they are out of it.
When you watch the Angels play today, take notice that no one will wait for the right pitch. They will try to do too much with the junk that is thrown to them. Most of them will not have that extra spring in their step, and The Pitchers will sweat more than Roger Clemens in Washington. They are playing like a team that has nothing to play for, even though they only find themselves 8 games out with 41 to play (including 7 against Texas).
If the players are going to play like they are out of the race, I'm going to start writing like they are out of the race. Its all misery, all the time!
Personally, I cant wait for September 1st to get here, to see how the young players (who will more than likely get plenty of playing time) perform at a big league level. I've really enjoyed watching Peter Bourjos the last few weeks, and I'd like to see what guys like Mark Trumbo and Hank Conger can do against big league pitching.
Also, the Carl Crawford Countdown has begun! 115 Days till the free agency period begins! Oh, and by the way, the Rangers magic number is down to 35.
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