by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–There is only one division in baseball with two teams playing over .600 ball. The American League West, Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels. As the pre-All Star Game part of the season just ended, the Athletics lost two out of three in Seattle to the Mariners but still have the best record in baseball with 59-36.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, swept a four-game series against the Rangers in Texas and are in second place with 57-37 just 1 1/2 games behind the A’s, the Angels have won ten of their last 11 games and have the best record at home in baseball with 32-15 at The Big A, at Anaheim. The Seattle Mariners with 51-44 occupy third place playing .537 ball.

To put this division into perspective, the Mariners with this record could be one game difference between the first place Dodgers and the second place Giants in the other Western Division. And the Mariners are in third place eight full games behind the Athletics.The American League West could easily post three teams in the postseason, the division winner and two wild cards. The Athletics still have 10 games against the Angels; 6 at Oakland and four in Anaheim. The Athletics have six against the Mariners, three at home and three in Seattle. This triangulation could be as exciting race as any in baseball post All-Star Game.

Nobody finished the first half, hotter than the Los Angeles Angels, who lead all Major Leagues with 478 runs scored. Easy to see why, with Mike Trout hitting second with an over .300 average 22 home runs and 73 runs batted in,considered the best player in the game, a healthy Albert Pujols hitting third with 20 home runs and 63 runs batted in, and a healthy Josh Hamilton, who was hurt great part of the first half now producing at an over .300 clip at the plate.

There are few (if any team in baseball) with a more scary middle of the order lineup: Trout-Pujols-Hamilton. The Angles offense has another key element, in Gold Glove winner shorstop Erick Aybar, with 50 runs batted in, enjoying his best season to date. Mike Scioscia’s team (longest tenure manager in baseball today) also shines with a double play combination of Aybar at shortstop and Howie Kendrick at second base; one of the best. They have been together for nine years. The only longer combination of shortstop and second base today in baseball is that of the Philadelphia Phillies. Jimmy Rollins at shortstop and Chase Utley at second base have been playing for ten seasons on that team.

The Angels bullpen has healed, specially after they traded closer Ernesto Frieri to the Pittsburgh Pirates, for their closer Jason Grilli. Frieri was not doing his lob, Now Joe Smith, who began the season as the set up man to Frieri, is the closer and since July 1st has retired 26 of 27 batters in relief, walking just one and allowing no hits in 10 consecutive games. He has now 15 games saved. Jerry Dipoto the General Manager says they are still trying to improve their bullpen. If the Angels bullpen continues to be good, they could overtake the A’s and take over first place.

The Mariners still have one of the most formidable number one and two starters in baseball, with Félix(El Rey)Hernández and Hisashi Iwakuma, a solid bullpen, but their hitting is not there with the A’s or Angels. In a way the Mariners remind me a lof of the San Francisco Giants, they going to go as far as their pitching, aside from Robinson Canó, the Mariners has been sputtering the whole first half of the season, but they could be a very interesting team, specially if they pick up that right handed batter they are looking for, and still might get.

The Oakland Athletics have been the class again of this division. Yoenis Céspedes played in 85 of the 89 games in the first half, and is hitting ,.249 with 14 home runs and 56 runs batted in, while leading the world in assists from left field and runners thrown at the plate. He is under-performing. I believe Céspedes is a ,.280 to .300 hitter and should have at least 20 home runs and 65 to 70 runs batted in.

Josh Donaldson average has gone down, but still has the numbers, Derek Norris has been one of the greatest revelations on this team, Bob Melvin has been a master using his three catchers. Second base has been the achilles heel for this team, now with Alberto Callaspo out in the DL for the next two weeks, they could improve this position with a trade. Aside from that, I would not make any more changes on this team.The second half should be a barn burner in the best division in baseball.

Amaury Pi-González is the play by play voice in Spanish for the Oakland A’s on the radio, and the LA Angels/Fox Deportes voice on television in Los Angeles and does News and Commentary on http://www.sportsradioservice.com