AL West: Underrated stars stepping forward for Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

07/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia knows who his most valuable players are, though they may not be recognized as easily on a national scale. Nevertheless, they are the guys who deliver the clutch hits, make the run-saving grabs, and keep opposing lineups in check.

One of those players is center fielder Torii Hunter, who was selected by his peers to play in his fourth career All-Star game, albeit in a reserve role.

Hunter backed up his All-Star nod with a monstrous offensive output in Sunday's 11-0 thumping of the Kansas City Royals, belting two home runs and tying a career-high with seven RBI. The veteran center fielder has gone deep 14 times this season in addition to his 60 RBI to earn a spot in this month's Midsummer Classic at his home ballpark, Angel Stadium.

Also on Sunday, Joel Pineiro matched a career-high by recording his sixth straight win. Pineiro is pitching to a 2.08 ERA during his streak, and he has lasted six innings or more in 15 of 17 starts.

Meanwhile, fellow starter Jered Weaver's All-Star snub has turned quite a few heads. The Angels' ace leads the American League with 124 strikeouts and ranks seventh with a 2.82 ERA.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who will coach the AL squad, does have three more pitcher openings on his roster -- New York's CC Sabathia and Oakland's Trevor Cahill both started Sunday and will not be available, while Boston's Clay Buchholz is on the disabled list with a leg injury. But that doesn't automatically open the door for Weaver, as names like Andy Pettitte (NY), Justin Verlander (DET) and Andrew Bailey (OAK) have all earned strong consideration.

Teammates Joe Saunders and Torii Hunter were among those caught off guard by the news of Weaver's roster exclusion.

"It's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Saunders told The Orange County Register. "You can quote me on that."

Another player who has certainly made a case to play in the Midsummer Classic is Howie Kendrick, who has knocked in 50 runs while playing air-tight defense at second base. Kendrick hit .301 in June and saw his chances aided when Boston's Dustin Pedroia recently broke his left foot. However, New York's Robinson Cano was named the AL starter at second base after leading the voting for virtually the duration of the balloting.

While Hunter will get to soak in the All-Star festivities next week, Kendrick and Weaver represent two very vital pieces to the Angels' success. That can also be said for Pineiro and shortstop Erick Aybar, who is on a 13-for-32 (.406) tear since returning from a left knee injury. All-Stars or not, these are the players who must continue to step up if the Angels are to close the 3 1/2 game gap separating them and the first-place Texas Rangers.

RANGERS' LINEUP BOASTS MAJOR STAR POWER

When opposing teams prepare to face the Texas Rangers, they seldom spend a lot of time talking about the Rangers' pitching or defense. Rather, it is the Rangers' ridiculously imposing lineup that continues to grab everybody's attention. And judging by the American League All-Star roster, that's a sentiment shared by players, coaches and fans alike.

Texas is poised to send each of its Nos. 1-5 hitters to next week's All-Star game, including two starters in cleanup hitter Vladimir Guerrero (.328, 18 HR, 70 RBI) and No. 5 hitter Josh Hamilton (.340, 20 HR, 61 RBI). And if he hadn't missed a chunk of the season with a hamstring injury, No. 6 hitter Nelson Cruz (.305, 10 HR, 39 RBI) would almost certainly be making his second consecutive All-Star appearance. Cruz became the first player in Rangers history to blast seven homers through 11 games before being slowed by a bad wheel.

Second-year shortstop and leadoff man Elvis Andrus (.290, 22 SB) earned his first All-Star nod as a players' selection, while No. 3 hitter Ian Kinsler (.304) replaces Boston's Dustin Pedroia (DL) at second base. For Kinsler, this marks his second All-Star selection since winning the AL Rookie of the Year in 2006.

Third baseman and No. 2 hitter Michael Young is vying for his seventh consecutive All-Star game, though he'll need fan support to beat out the four other players competing for the AL Final Vote. The club's all-time leading hitter is in the midst of another standout season, hitting .306 with 11 homers, 51 RBI and a team-high 24 doubles.

Collectively, that's a murderer's row lineup for even elite pitchers to have to navigate. And it's the main reason why the Rangers still hold a 3 1/2 game lead in the AL West despite a 1-4 record thus far in July.

THE LEE SWEEPSTAKES HAVE BEGUN

According to a report from AOL Fanhouse on Monday, the Minnesota Twins have thrown their hat into the mix for starting pitcher Cliff Lee by offering two coveted prospects for the All-Star southpaw.

The prospects are outfielder Aaron Hicks and catcher Wilson Ramos. The 20- year-old Hicks was the 14th overall pick in the 2008 draft class and has logged a .792 OPS in three minor league seasons. The 22-year-old Ramos has struggled with a .208 batting average for Triple-A Rochester, though he hit .317 last year between Rookie and Double-A ball.

In 13 starts this season, Lee has compiled a 2.34 ERA to go along with 89 strikeouts and only six walks. To put that ratio into perspective, he has logged five complete games, or one less than the amount of free passes he has issued. Just as expected, he has formed an elite 1-2 punch atop the rotation with Felix Hernandez, who has posted 15 quality starts in 18 outings this season. But with Seattle 14 games behind Texas in the division standings, it has become increasingly unlikely the team will hold on to Lee, who becomes a free agent at season's end.

A'S HOPING FOR HEALTHY ARMS AFTER THE BREAK

For the past decade, the Oakland Athletics' formula for success has hinged on getting stellar pitching without breaking the bank. The same holds true this year, although their primary concern at the moment is getting some guys healthy.

Dallas Braden is penciled in to return to the rotation after the All-Star break. He has been battling stiffness in his left elbow and has not taken the mound since June 22. Braden was placed on the DL July 3. He has not recorded a win since tossing a perfect game on May 9.

Meanwhile, Brett Anderson is targeting a July 19 return from left elbow tendinitis. He threw a simulated game on July 4 and will build on his throwing routine every five days. Anderson was also sidelined from April 25 to May 28 with the same injury.

Trevor Cahill (8-2, 2.74) is the team's lone All-Star representative, although you could certainly have made a case for closer Andrew Bailey being on the roster. Bailey has converted 17 of 20 saves while posting a 1.59 ERA on the season,

This marks the ninth straight year that the A's have sent at least one pitcher to the All-Star game.

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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