This group looks somewhat how they were projected to with Los Angeles in the lead, followed by the recession proof Athletics, and the always pitching-less Rangers, and that $100 million piece of history in Seattle pulling up the caboose.

The Angels have posted a 57-39 record (.600), which has only been good enough to secure a 6 game lead in the division. It is a lead, nevertheless, and has been achieved in the face of early season injuries to Howie Kendrick, Chone Figgins, and John Lackey. The big boppers in the lineup have produced respectable numbers, but I would go as far as to say this team has lacked an offensive superstar, thus far. A more slender, and undoubtedly purer, Garret Anderson has managed to stay healthy; I guess that’s a plus. Judging from his offensive output, Gary Matthews Jr. could rightly be called a ‘mistake’ by the Anaheim brass, if not for the fact that he is an absolute defensive monster. I swear this guy must go into right field with a fishing net and a catapult, because nothing falls in and nobody has the grapes to run on him. They might as well ship Gold Glove awards to this guy in groups of 5 to save everyone the time and effort of voting for him. Torii Hunter has put up numbers in line with those he produced in Minnesota, however, much of his impact can’t be quantified. He is a renowned leader and clubhouse personality, as well as improved protection for Vlad Guerrero in the lineup. Speaking of which, Vlad ‘I’m Bad’ continues to hit balls he shouldn’t to places other men can’t. I’m convinced the only way to pitch around the guy is to have the pitcher turn around on the rubber and chuck it into center field; and even that isn’t a given.

The real studs of Anaheim are the pitchers. 19-game winner, Kelvim Escobar, hasn’t, and won’t, throw a pitch in 2008. That matters not, as Ervin Santana has either returned to his 2006 form or they hired someone else to impersonate him, as he has posted a 3.34 ERA, 122/34 K/BB ratio, and an 11-3 record. Joe Saunders, Jon Garland, Jared Weaver have all posted solid numbers, as well. If we consider John Lackey’s strong return from early season shoulder troubles, L.A.’s staff is only likely to get stronger in the second half. Frankie Rodriguez has already converted 38 saves in 41 chances, thus sparking up talk of challenging Bobby Thigpen’s major league mark of 57 saves set in 1990. He is an elite closer, that much is beyond question, but some of his peripheral numbers suggest he’s not been quite as dominant as one might think (41/26 K/BB ratio; 2.36 ERA; 1.26 WHIP).

With each passing season, the legend of Billy Beane grows. He has become something like the MacGuyver of baseball GMs, because you can give him a match, a piece of string, one lens from a pair of sunglasses, and an old newspaper, and somehow he’ll turn it into a competitive baseball team. On paper, admittedly, this team stinks; but they are currently 7 games over .500 and sit a manageable 6 games back of the Angels for the division lead. The offense in Oakland is cause for offense, and there isn’t much worth noting. Jack Cust has hit 18 dingers on his way to a .229 average and 114 Ks; but, on a positive note, I’m sure the Oakland fans appreciate the breeze. Bobby Crosby’s healthy; rioting has understandably taken place in downtown Oakland. The Big Hurt, perhaps the best player to be included in Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball for SNES, traded in his Blue Jay uniform for the green and gold (well, more like had his Blue Jay uniform taken away).

The pitching has been the engine, as usual, behind the team’s first half success. Dana Eveland, who was acquired from Arizona in the offseason, pitched exceptionally well early on, but has come back to earth, somewhat. The oft-injured, Rich Harden, was shipped to the Cubbies, where he has promptly begun studding it up. Joe Blanton was recently traded to Philadelphia for 3 minor leaguers, and we should expect to see his near-5 ERA rise above 6.00 with the move to that band box. That leaves Justin Duchscherer, who has posted solid numbers (1.82 ERA, 10-5 record), to ace a staff full of stiffs that would likely be just as effective throwing with their offhand.

The Texas Rangers can flat out hit the baseball. Per usual, however, their pitching is something straight out of BYOB night at the local slow pitch softball league. Ian Kinsler is having an MVP caliber season, as he’s posted a line of 84, 14, 58, .337, 23 (R, HR, RBI, AVG, SB). Milton Bradley, who is either the son of a gaming tycoon or criminally uncreative parents, continues to post solid numbers despite nagging leg injuries (55, 19, 57, .316). Rookie sensation, David Murphy, also has provided solid offensive production (52, 13, 60, .276). As far as the pitching goes, I don’t want to mention any names in order to protect the people and families involved, but the lowest ERA of any pitcher who has started at least 1 game for the Rangers is 3.52. The highest is 9.00; you do the math.

The story that touches everyone’s heart, and every journalist’s paper, is Josh Hamilton and his triumphant comeback from substance abuse woes. He currently sports an unreal line of 60, 21, 95, .310, which places him in legitimate contention for the AL Triple Crown. Now, he isn’t going to win it, but he has certainly succeeded in putting the ‘hero’ back in heroin. Alright, alright, that was a cheap shot, but in all seriousness, I am rooting for this guy with every fiber of my being. His, is a story of ability, of waste, of despair, of hope, of epiphany, of perseverance, and finally of overcoming. He is a walking testament to the human will, and all the strength that lay, therein. With that said, I feel I should point out that this guy wasn’t some errant addict that made a wrong turn off the beltway and wound up at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, only to discover soon after that he could rake. He was the first pick, overall, in the 99’ MLB draft, and stands at an intimidating 6’4, 225 lbs. He has long possessed the physical abilities necessary to play a professional sport, and now personal strife and trepidation have furnished him with the self-discipline to go along with it. End of story. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was my sincerest attempt to save Mr. Hamilton from the agony of having a Lifetime original movie made about him. You’re welcome, Josh.

The Seattle Mariners are a combined 37-58 (21 games under .500), and they are 20 games off the division lead, and counting. Only the abysmal Washington Nationals have a worse record. Both teams stink, but there is one crucial difference between the two. Washington’s payroll is a meager $43.3 million, which is small potatoes compared to the $114.4 million worth of checks the Mariners plan to write to their players this year. They are in hot pursuit of the right to scrawl their names on an as yet untouched page in the history books for being the first team with a $100 million payroll to lose 100 games. It should come as no surprise that manager, John McLaren, and GM, Bill Bavasi, have both been canned for the team’s expensively poor showing. I feel for McLaren, because a manager is only able to cook with the ingredients that the brass put in the fridge for him. Bavasi, on the other hand, upon taking the helm of the Seattle ship at the end of the 03’ season, promptly began poking holes in the hull. His tenure began with 2 big splashes, one named Richie Sexson, and the other, Adrian Beltre. Sexson had 2 pretty solid years before forgetting how to hit a baseball, entirely; which, resulted in his release just last week. Beltre can flash the leather, but they didn’t sign him to a 5 year, $64 million contract because they had visions of the next Brooks Robinson wearing Mariner teal. His offensive numbers haven’t been horrid, but they haven’t come close to matching the 104, 48, 121, .334 (R, HR, RBI, AVG) line he put up in 04’. The subsequent signings of Jarrod Washburn ($37 mil.), Jeff Weaver ($8.35 mil.), Brad Wilkerson ($3 mil. and cut a month later), and my personal favorite, Carlos Silva ($48 mil; current record of 4-11), have combined to prove that you don’t have to be able to play baseball to get someone to pay you lots of money to do it.

Continuing along, the Erik Bedard trade has not panned out, one bit. In between battling shoulder problems, he has posted a 3.67 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 72/37 K/BB ratio, on his way to a 6-4 mark. Not exactly the ace-like statistics the Mariners thought they were trading for; however, he is tied for team lead for wins……… Ichiro is a baseball God, and Seattle would probably win more games and draw more fans if they converted the stadium into a cathedral dedicated to him, and held Ichiro bobble-head night, every night. Raul Ibanez continues to be the best #3 hitter who should be a #7 hitter in the league. ‘King’ Felix has undoubtedly been the most hyped pitcher of the decade (and probably any other one), but his brilliance has come in flashes as we have yet to see any sustained dominance from him. J.J. Putz, voted most likely to legally change his name to ‘Stud’, has struggled with elbow problems for nearly the entire first half. The Mariners sorely need him to get healthy, so he can stop watching them lose from the 3rd base dugout, and start watching them lose out in the bullpen. Putz’ arm troubles have given rise to a lone bright spot in the Seattle skyline: Brandon Morrow. When Putz went down, Morrow took over, and up until a week ago he was the owner of a 0.69 ERA. Upon which time, he promptly gave up 3 hits, all homeruns, and 4 runs over his next inning and a third, but that’s beside the point. He still has a 0.88 WHIP and a 42/11 K/BB ratio. The two of them in the pen could turn games into 7 inning contests; however, they are still left with the problem of getting through those first 7 innings with a lead.

For my predictions, I will give the division to the Anaheim Angels, outright. They are the only team with the pitching to win. Oakland, despite their record, have been sellers at the break, and depleted their roster for any type of late season push. Texas will continue to hit well, but their pitching is bad enough that they’d need several Triple Crown candidates in their lineup to make up the difference. Seattle has dug itself a very deep hole, and even if their pitching were to become fully healthy, they still don’t possess the offense necessary to make a sustained run. In the end, I see it looking something like LA, followed by Texas, Seattle, and Oakland.