After Wednesday’s brutal loss at the hands of the Texas Rangers, the Angels remain atop the AL West by half a game. After a torrid 14-4 run through interleague play – whereas the Rangers finished 9-9 – it would stand to reason that the Halos would have a rather comfortable lead in the division. They don’t, and the primary culprit is the Angels’ record against their division rivals.

If the Angels are to win their fifth division title in six years, they will need to fare better against Texas, Seattle, and Oakland in the second half than they managed in the first three months of the season. With 24 division games in the books, the Halos are just 10-14 versus division foes (while Texas boasts a 15-4 mark). Granted, most of that division record is a result of being severely short-handed, as much of the pitching staff and Vlad Guerrero were missing in action due to injuries. But in baseball’s division races, in order to be the best, you’ve got to beat the rest.

With the health of the active roster dramatically improving in recent weeks, there’s no reason to believe the Angels’ division record won’t improve in the second half. The pitching situation seems to be improving significantly. Ervin Santana is expected to make his return from the DL Friday versus Baltimore, and pitching coach Mike Butcher recently told the Orange County Register that John Lackey is closer to regaining his dominant form.

“These last two games, I’ve seen him taking steps to get back to where he’s been in the past,” Butcher said. “He’s commanding the fastball to both sides of the plate. His breaking ball is coming out of a good slot.”

With a healthy starting rotation and Juan Rivera picking up production for an underperforming Guerrero, the Angels would certainly figure to right the ship over the final three months of the season and take their third straight division crown. We all keep hearing that this is a different Rangers team than in years past, but they will have to overcome their recent history of faltering in the Texas heat down the stretch. The Mariners would seem to be hard-pressed to compete for the division into late September, while Oakland’s fate is often revealed by Billy Beane at the annual July 31 trading deadline.

With 29 games remaining against AL West opponents – Texas (12), Oakland (11), Seattle (6) – they’ll certainly have the opportunity to retain their claim as “the team to beat” within the division.

-Blake Warren