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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s start a short three-game road trip starting Friday night at Angel Stadium against the Los Angeles Angels. The A’s record of 34-11 is the best in baseball since June 16th. They went 7-1 in the last homestand against the Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, and Los Angeles Dodgers. The A’s split the two-game series with the Dodgers, and the entire experience felt as if it were the MLB playoffs.

The A’s are playing with supreme confidence right now. They acquired twp pitchers, Jeurys Familia and Shawn Kelley, to buttress the bullpen, and added a starter, Mike Fiers. Fiers’ debut against the Dodgers was impressive. Fiers didn’t receive credit for the win, but he gave the A’s 5 1/3 innings of work before A’s manager Bob Melvin turned the game over to his outstanding bullpen.

After the quick stop in Anaheim, the A’s will return home to face the Seattle Mariners for three and the Houston Astros for another three. The A’s lead the M’s by three games in the race for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. They trail the division-leading Astros by five.

There were high hopes for the Angels this year. The people in Orange County thought their team would be contending for the division crown. Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia was optimistic that this year would belong to his team. After all, they signed the highly-touted Japanese star, Shohei Ohtani, to play for them. Ohtani would pitch and on the days he didn’t, he would be their DH.

Unfortunately, Ohtani has been sidelined with elbow problems for most of the year. He has received plated rich plasma infusions to treat a sprained ulnar collateral ligament. He hasn’t pitched since June 6th. His record was 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA. Ohtani is expected to resume throwing off the mound on August 11th. As a DH, Ohtani is hitting .268 with 11 home runs and 29 RBIs in 69 games.

In addition to Ohtani’s problems, the Angels’ pitching staff has also been racked with injuries. Pitchers John Lamb, Garrett Richards, and Kenyan Middleton all have undergone Tommy John surgery. Jake Jewell had surgery to his right ankle and is out for the year. Alex Meyer had surgery on his right shoulder last September and has not been able to return to action. Matt Shoemaker has surgery on his right forearm and may be back in August. Lefty Tyler Skaggs may return this weekend after being sidelined with a left abductor strain.

The Angels’ best player Mike Trout is day-to-day due to an injury to his wrist. He is expected back this weekend. Trout, the two-time MVP in the American League, is hitting .309 with 30 home runs and 60 RBIs. Kole Calhoun, who struggled earlier in the season, had raised his average to .214 and has 15 homers and 44 RBIs. Justin Upton is another dangerous hitter in the Angels’ lineup. Upton is at .255 and has 23 dingers to go along with 65 RBIs. The other offensive threat is the 38-year-old Albert Pujols. Pujols is hitting .253 and has banged out 18 homers along with 56 RBIs.

The A’s and Angels have met 10 times so far this season. Both teams have five wins apiece. After this weekend’s series, they will play six more games. Three will be in Oakland, and the A’s will wrap up the season in Anaheim.

The probable starters for Friday night’s game will be Felix Pena (1-3) for LA and lefty Brett Anderson for Oakland. Edwin Jackson will pitch on Saturday, and Trevor Cahill will go on Sunday. Sunday’s starter for the Angels have not been announced yet.

The Angels would love nothing better than to be spoilers. The A’s cannot take this team for granted. Yes, the Angels are disappointed by their lack of success so far this season. They have the best player in baseball, Mike Trout, but they will still miss the playoffs.

There have also been a lot of rumors regarding the status of their long-time manager Mike Scioscia. Scioscia has managed the team for 19 years, and he won a World Championship in 2002. Reports have him leaving at the end of the season. Scioscia has adamantly denied the reports. However, in baseball, one never knows.