With Their Mid-Season Spark, The LA Angels Are Finding Out Anything Is Possible
By Keith Rivas
For the better part of the first half of this season the LA Angels were trailing behind the highly impressive Houston Astros — but it seems as though the tides may be turning.
It appears as though the whole thought of the Houston Astros being able to just ride off into the sunset with the AL West crown was nothing short of a fantasy that we all need to get rid of immediately.
What do I mean?
I mean that the LA Angels are back in town — and they’re done playing games.
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Pointless ones, at least.
Mike Trout was a major part of the American League’s 6-3 win over the National League in the 2015 All-Star Game and with that win it locks up home-field advantage for the AL representative — which might be the LA Angels if everything falls into place.
The Astros saw a solid first half of the season and because of that promising display of talent they are now on Major League Baseball’s radar much earlier than anticipated — and now the Angels will have to find a way to cope with that.
The LA Angels have overcome a lot of offensive inconsistency in the first half of the year and are starting to show their true strides this July.
Out of their ten games played this month, the Angels have found themselves coming out on top seven of those instances — with a strong work ethic being their ultimate driving force.
Two of their three losses have come against their fellow AL West counterpart in the Seattle Mariners — one loss being 7-2 and the second one coming in a 5-0 shutout.
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But even still, there’s no major concerns coming out of the All-Star break for LA to look at or worry about too much.
The best games the Angels have given us this month came on July 4th and 5th against the Texas Rangers where their offensive firepower truly showed.
By that I mean that they won 13-0 on Independence Day and 12-6 the next day.
The Angels open the second half of the season against the feisty Boston Red Sox for four games followed by the Texas Rangers for three games and then finishing the month out with games against the Houston Astros and LA Dodgers.
The proof for the Angels will be in the pudding.
Especially towards the latter part of that schedule.
What will be interesting to see unfold is whether or not, when it’s all said and done, if the Houston Astros end up making the playoffs.
If they do, LA will probably get the chance to clash with their division rivals for a more permanent spot on everyone’s radar.
Going up against a surprising team like the Astros will tell us the true tale of the Angels and whether or not they’re worth all the hype and build up that they’ve received in recent memory.
Particularly in the playoffs.
Bottom Line: It can only get better from here.
But let’s not jump the gun or to conclusions — not yet, at least.
Let’s just play baseball and let the playing speak for itself.
Period.