AL West: Mariners starting to get healthy

Baseball Betting Lines

06/22/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As starting pitcher Erik Bedard and catcher Adam Moore began their respective rehab assignments on Monday night, there is a hope of better days ahead for the Seattle Mariners.

Add to that a four-game winning streak entering Tuesday, and there is certainly reason for optimism, particularly with some three months left to play in the regular season.

But at 13 games below .500 (28-41) and 13 off the pace in the American League West, is it too little, too late?

Even if he returns to his All-Star form, Bedard won't help ignite the offense from its season-long slumber. And for that matter neither will Moore, who was hitting .193 (11-for-57) in 19 games before landing on the disabled list on May 16 with a sublexed left fibula.

Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Bedard has yet to take the mound this season after having season-ending surgery (torn labrum) in mid-August. Having posted a 3.24 ERA in 30 starts over the past two seasons, his return figures to make an already solid rotation even better.

While the Mariners have no doubt stepped up their play of late, the fact is the division-leading Texas Rangers have been hotter, having won eight in a row. And for the most part, the Mariners are still the same team they were a week ago.

During their four-game win streak, they've allowed a total of two runs, thanks to a complete-game shutout by Cliff Lee in Friday's 1-0 win over Cincinnati, and Ryan Rowland-Smith's six shutout innings in Sunday's 1-0 victory. Felix Hernandez also tossed a complete game in Saturday's 5-1 win, while Jason Vargas threw 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball last Wednesday in a 2-1 win at St. Louis.

But dominant starting pitching is nothing new in Seattle. After all, the M's rotation tops the AL with a combined 3.65 ERA on the season (albeit with a 19-25 record). Still, there has been no offensive revival.

All things considered, Seattle will need to string together more than a few wins to keep Lee in a Mariners uniform beyond the July 31 trade deadline. The pending free agent has 67 strikeouts and only four walks in his 10 starts this season, numbers that should help net a decent return if the team is not going to contend this year.

Stay tuned, as the Lee Sweepstakes is bound to gain some serious traction in the coming weeks.

DESPITE INJURIES, ANGELS KEEPING PACE WITH RANGERS

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (39-33) and Texas Rangers (41-28) have begun to separate from the pack, shaping the American League West into a two-team race with each passing series. Texas has the longest winning streak in baseball at the moment, while the Halos have won six of their last nine.

After taking two of three from the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field over the weekend, the Angels resume their Freeway Series Tuesday night at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom they swept at Dodger Stadium a week ago.

On the injury front, shortstop Erick Aybar (strained meniscus) is scheduled to be reevaluated on Tuesday. Aybar was hitting .393 in the 14 games leading up to his injury. Of course, slugging first baseman Kendry Morales has already been lost for the season with a fractured foot. And second baseman Maicer Izturis landed on the 15-day disabled list last week with a left forearm strain.

Manager Mike Scioscia has been forced to use a patchwork infield in order to stay afloat. And so far, the Angels have been able to do just that. But how long can they keep it up?

"We've stretched our depth about as far as we can," Scioscia said.

RANGERS' HAMILTON IS OFFICIALLY BACK

Rangers' left fielder Josh Hamilton is absolutely destroying everything in his path. Hamilton helped his team to a sweep of the Houston Astros on Sunday by going 5-for-6 with a run and two RBI, as he singled home the tying run in the 9th inning and drove home the game-winner in the 10th. On the season, he is now hitting .337 with 16 homers and 52 RBI through 67 games.

Compare those numbers to his injury-shortened '09 season, when he hit .268 with 10 homers and 54 RBI in 89 games. For Hamilton, it's a season he'd rather forget after bursting onto the scene with 130 RBI in '08. Now, he's the hottest hitter in baseball.

The Rangers just wrapped up their road trip with an impressive 8-1 mark, during which Hamilton went 20-for-39 (.513) with three home runs and 10 RBI. During his current 16-game hitting streak, he is 31-for-64 (.484) with seven dingers and 23 RBI. To most observers, it looks as if Hamilton has rediscovered the same stroke that made him a household name in '08. But Hamilton says the mental aspect is completely different this time around, and of course it helps that he knows what to expect after going through a hot streak two years ago.

"I just know it's a different mind-set and approach," Hamilton said. "I'm just not going up there, I'm processing the situation before it happens. I'm thinking ahead and sticking with the plan."

A'S SUFFERING THROUGH JUNE SWOON

The month of June has not been kind to the Oakland Athletics, who fell to 6-14 this month with Monday's 6-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. As recently as June 10, the A's were just two games back in the division standings. But now, Oakland (34-38) has fallen 8 1/2 games off the pace, and there seems to be no end in sight.

Only the Baltimore Orioles have a worst record in June (5-14) among American League teams. And really, it's a long list of what's plaguing the A's right now.

Center fielder Coco Crisp (strained rib cage) has been on the DL. Starting pitcher Brett Anderson is on his second DL stint, while fellow starter Dallas Braden is also dealing with soreness in his left elbow, which has limited the amount of offspeed pitches he can throw. Since tossing a perfect game on May 9, Braden has gone 0-4 with a 4.29 ERA and a .295 opponents' batting average in seven starts.

The bullpen has also had its struggles. On Monday, the pen allowed three home runs in an extra inning for the first time in team history. Overall, the A's have the highest road ERA in the AL (5.17) and the lowest home ERA (2.95) on the season. The pitching staff has surrendered 16 homers over the last 10 games -- at least one in each game.

"It's a critical time of the season for sure. We were in first place (on June 3)," A's manager Bob Geren told the Oakland Tribune. "The good news is our lineup's better. But we've just given up some big homers."