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AL West: Not too late for A's to make playoff push

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08/24/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With eight weeks to play in the regular season, the Oakland Athletics have yet to bow out of the race in the American League West.

After taking the first two games of a four-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland lost a pair of one-run games this weekend to settle for a series split. Still, the A's (61-62) entered Tuesday in second place in the AL West, 8 1/2 games behind first-place Texas.

Mathematically speaking, the A's are still very much in contention.

Realistically speaking, they face quite an uphill battle to erase the deficit from a team that seemingly plugged every hole it had at the trade deadline. The wild card is not a viable route to the postseason, thanks to the continued high-stakes battle for AL East supremacy between the Yankees and Rays.

Nevertheless, October baseball is not out of the question for the A's. However, it's imperative they take advantage of every opportunity presented to them to gain some ground. So far, they haven't been able to capitalize on that last part.

So far in the month of August, the Rangers have sputtered along with an 8-11 record entering Monday's series opener against the AL Central-leading Twins. Still, the 8 1/2 games separating the Rangers and A's is the same margin that separated those two at the end of July.

"Everybody's going to have their missteps, and we're going to falter but by no means do we feel like we're ready to roll over," Dallas Braden told the Oakland Tribune following Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Rays.

They'll have another chance to close the gap this week when they begin a three-game series against the last-place Cleveland Indians Tuesday night. Following that series, the A's will head to Texas for a three-game set with the Rangers. After that, they'll take on the Yankees in the Bronx.

Certainly, Oakland has an opportunity to impact its own destiny during the upcoming trip. That said, playing 10 road games in 10 days -- with a pair of stops against first-place teams -- is not a very forgiving stretch. Then again, it also helps having your All-Star closer back from injury.

Andrew Bailey, out since July 20th with a strained muscle in his rib cage, was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday. In 38 appearances this season, he has converted 20-of-23 save opportunities while posting a 1.56 ERA.

During Bailey's absence, manager Bob Geren relied on relievers Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow and Jerry Blevins to close out games. Bailey's return should have a domino effect on those guys, who can go back to focusing on their normal bullpen roles.

"These guys definitely picked me up while I was gone," Bailey said. "It's been a group effort. It's always been like that down there. It's not easy closing out games, but it just shows that a lot of guys on our team can do it."

RANGERS RELYING ON PITCHING DOWN THE STRETCH

Despite a few notable injuries to their potent lineup throughout the season, the Texas Rangers still rank second in the AL in team batting average (.275), fourth in runs (609) and sixth in slugging average (.422). But if it weren't for their pitching, the Rangers likely wouldn't be enjoying the largest division lead in all of baseball at the moment.

It was the pitching that shined in Monday's showdown with the Twins, an intriguing matchup of division leaders. Rich Harden was activated from the disabled list prior to Monday's game, and he went on to pitch 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball that required 111 pitches. Relievers Matt Harrison and Darren O'Day kept the no-hit bid intact until the ninth inning, when closer Neftali Feliz allowed a single to Joe Mauer. That hit spoiled what would have been the first combined no-hitter in club history. Still, the result was a 4-0 win for Texas.

"At times, when we have struggled to score runs, we have still been in games because our pitching staff has kept us there," Rangers owner and president and Nolan Ryan told the Star-Telegram. "And that's how you win games."

Few teams across the league can match the Rangers' blend of hitting and pitching. With All-Stars sprinkled up and down the lineup, it's easy to dismiss the team's pitching as secondary to its success. But with a staff 3.89 ERA that ranks fourth in the AL, the Rangers pitchers have made it clear they are a vital piece to what the team hopes to accomplish this season.

WHO'S ON FIRST FOR ANGELS?

Angels manager Mike Scioscia has been on a season-long quest to find someone to replace injured starter Kendry Morales at first base. On Monday, he penciled Juan Rivera in at first base for the first time in his career. It also marked the tenth different player Scioscia has used at first base this season. However, he figured there would be quite a bit of shuffling when Morales went down on May 29th.

"If you're asking me if the possibility was that we could go through a bunch of first baseman, the answer is 'Sure,'" Scioscia told the OC Register. "We knew that. You could run through 15 first basemen when you lose a guy like Kendry."

To his credit, Rivera looked pretty comfortable there on Monday, making a run- saving play in the first inning while going 2-for-4 at the plate. He had started taking grounders there recently and also played some first base during Spring Training. With Scioscia shuffling the outfield earlier this month, playing time has been sparse for Rivera, who is hitting .260 with 12 homers and 44 RBI in 98 games this season.

"It's an opportunity to get some more at-bats, that's the way I see it," Rivera said through a translator. "I'm happy that they at least presented that option."

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20 FOR SEATTLE

It didn't take long this season to find out that the Seattle Mariners, a chic contender pick entering the year, were not truly ready to take that next step.

The front office took a hack for the fences, and ultimately missed. The Cliff Lee era in Seattle was short-lived. Shelling out $36 million to Chone Figgins hasn't paid off. Neither did giving extensive playing time to aging veterans. Given how things have played out, general manager Jack Zduriencik would no doubt like to have former No. 1 pick Brandon Morrow back instead of the bullpen help he got from Toronto in the offseason.

The Morrow and Lee deals cost the team some prospects, although at the moment it looks like the Mariners may have gotten a better return for Lee than what they originally gave up to get him. Justin Smoak will figure into the team's future plans at first base. Other prospects like Dustin Ackley, Mauricio Robles and Michael Pineda are also poised to contribute soon.

In hindsight, it's easy to argue the team could have waited another year, developed some prospects, and then made a move to challenge for a postseason bid. As it turned out, Zduriencik probably played his hand a year too early. But for a fan base that hasn't witnessed a playoff game in eight years, it's tough to fault him for trying.

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