No One Touches All Bases in AL West Logjam

In the hit-crazed American League, only the offense of the powerful Cleveland Indians ranks above that of the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners, which is what ultimately concerns Manager Terry Collins as he tries to keep the depleted but determined Angels alive in a Western Division race that is baseball’s closest and most curious.

“Over the long haul in this division, you have to be able to score runs,” Collins said as he prepared for another weekend without Tim Salmon, Jim Edmonds and Gary DiSarcina while hopeful Mo Vaughn’s still-ailing ankle will allow him to return to first base Friday when the Angels begin a string of six interleague games in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where the designated hitter is not permitted.

Through a fourth of the season, the Angels are still breathing in the West, but you have to look deeper in the standings to find them. They had slipped into last with a 22-26 record as of Saturday, but were still within 5 1/2 games of the Rangers, who have been unable to apply a stranglehold because of a lack of consistent starting pitching--an aspect that also ails the Mariners.

Consider this curiosity:

Two of the West’s four teams, the Rangers and Mariners, ranked second and third in the league offensively through Friday but last (the Mariners) and next to last in pitching.

Two of the four, the Angels and A’s, ranked a very respectable second and fifth in pitching but last (the A’s) and fourth from last in the AL required area of hitting.

In a division of hammers, the A’s and Angels scratch while the Rangers and Mariners pound.

Or as General Manager Doug Melvin said bluntly by phone: “Same old Texas Rangers. We score a lot of runs and see if the pitching survives.”

Texas entered the weekend averaging 6.03 runs per game while yielding 6.02. In games in which they had scored four runs or less, the Rangers were 0-11.

No starting pitcher had an earned-run average less than Rick Helling’s 5.37 and no AL bullpen except that of the Minnesota Twins had pitched more innings. Texas relievers were 10-1--partial testimony to the work of farm products Jeff Zimmerman and Mike Venafro and the durability of John Wetteland. The closer had converted 14 of 15 save opportunities, but his 4.34 ERA may be a worrisome indication of the ongoing toll.

A year after Helling and Aaron Sele combined for 39 wins, they are 8-9, and the Rangers frequently have to win, 9-8.

“As long as we’re in first place that’s fine,” Melvin said. “But I just don’t feel you can continue to be successful that way. We’ve won two of the last three division races, but we also have to think about the next level. In a short [playoff] series, good pitching is going to beat good hitting.”

The Rangers and Indians have learned the hard way.

The problem, of course, is that there isn’t any pitching available now, and Melvin isn’t convinced there will be any before the July 31 trade deadline.

The A’s, who may be a year ahead of their rebuilding schedule, see that pitching void as a plus.

“The one advantage we have [over division rivals] is that we can add pitching from within, and we all know how hard it is to go outside and add it,” A’s General Manager Billy Beane said, believing he has four starting prospects at triple A: Mark Mulder, Blake Stein, Tim Hudson and Chad Harville.

“Our one disadvantage is that we don’t have the talent or depth of the others,’ Beane said. “We don’t have the ability to compete with injuries like the Angels and some of the others have. We’ve been fortunate to take advantage of some of their misfortune, but if we stay healthy and improve our hitting, we can stay in the race. To what level I’m not sure.”

With an array of young talent, the A’s are still betting on the come line. With the Mariners, what you see is what you get: a powerhouse lineup and a predominantly young pitching staff that may be more erratic than that of the Rangers.

The Mariners entered the weekend with an AL-high ERA of 6.02, and General Manager Woody Woodward said, “we have the offensive weapons to get it done” but need improved reliability from Jeff Fassero (2-6, 7.49 ERA) in particular and a rotation in which only rookie Freddy Garcia (5-1, 4.50) has pitched consistently well.

“It doesn’t seem like any club really wants to take charge, but that may be because we’ve all had [physical] setbacks,” Woodward said. “I think it’s up for grabs. If some club wants to go out and pay for a pricey veteran or two--and Texas may be in the best position to do that--it could be a big boost, but it won’t be the Mariners. At this point we’re going to try to get it done with what we’ve got.”

In Anaheim, Collins reflected on the recent productivity of Ken Griffey Jr. and Co., and said it’s “absolutely scary the way they’re crushing the ball right now. That can overcome a lot of things.”

Can the Angels overcome? The next month may be critical.

Interleague games with the Dodgers, Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks. A trip to Toronto, New York and Seattle. A visit by the Rangers.

DiSarcina could be back by late June. Salmon and his pivotal bat may be later. Can the Angels continue to glue a lineup in which Darin Erstad is struggling and Troy Glaus is gripped by a frightful slump? Is that fifth-best ERA for real?

General Manager Bill Bavasi cited the Angel injuries and said of the Rangers, “If I was only three or four games ahead I’d be bothered. It’s a tribute to the way our guys have sucked it up. I still think what I thought before, that it’s going to be a three-team race, with Oakland playing the role of spoiler.”

The Angels have shown heart, but need hits. In the meantime, the manager is in the last year of a three-year contract and should be rewarded for the resiliency his patchwork lineup has displayed.

Disney should defer Katzenberg and extend Collins before it becomes an issue for a team that doesn’t need another.