When the Rangers didn’t re-sign catcher Mike Napoli or outfielder Josh Hamilton, and traded infielder Michael Young to the Philadelphia Phillies, they were no longer considered the frontrunners in the AL West. How could they be when they lost the division to the Oakland A’s the year before, and considering the additions both the A’s and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim made, the Rangers couldn’t be first place favorites.
However, despite the moves made in the AL West, Ron Washington’s Rangers have, once again, found themselves leading the division with a record of 33-20. They currently have a three game lead above the A’s and a very comfortable lead over the Angels at eight and a half games. No doubt the Rangers have been somewhat a surprise this year, but does that make them a clear favorite to win the division come September?
Texas got off to a hot start, but have cooled down as of late. In their last ten games they are 5-5, and despite terrific pitching performances by Yu Darvish they haven’t been able to get him enough run support to win games. He has three games where he has collected 14 or more strikeouts, but has not recorded a win in two of those three starts.
The Rangers have caught the injury bug as second baseman Ian Kinsler was placed on the disabled list on May 18th with a right intercostal strain. Unfortunately, for the Rangers, Kinsler won’t be activated when available because his rib injury is now being called a stress reaction, just short of being considered a stress fracture. The second baseman is expected to possibly miss another two weeks.
When Kinsler was placed on the DL, they called up prospect Jurickson Profar. In seven games, Profar is batting .370 with one homerun and five RBI. While Profar is performing well, the Rangers are still missing the presence Kinsler brings to a lineup.
Colby Lewis has also had a setback after a rehab start and will be shut down for approximately two weeks. He wasn't necessarily expected back anytime soon, but Lewis is a guy the starting rotation could use, as they have been struggling.
The Rangers had a hot start to 2013, but now the flaws are starting to show. They’ve slowed down and their opposition has gone on a hot streak.
Two weeks ago, the A’s were in second place, seven and a half games behind the Rangers; today they are still in second place, but they have won 11 of their last 12 and now find themselves only three games behind Texas. Outfielder Josh Reddick is also expected to be activated from the DL this weekend which will help an already hot A’s offense; not to mention make some gold glove worthy plays in the outfield.
Also worth noting is the Angels who are 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Angels got Jered Weaver back on Wednesday as well which will help their starting rotation in the long run. Unfortunately for them they are still in third place and eight and a half games back.
The Rangers have impressed so far, but they aren’t a clear favorite by any means. May is coming to an end, but there is still four more months of baseball to play. The A’s are starting to come around after slumping for a while, and the Angels are starting to play as they were expected to.
Will the A’s and Angels continue to contend and be right in the middle of it come September? Only time will tell, but a healthy A’s squad only three games behind the division leading Rangers isn’t something to take lightly.