You may have noticed the Angels playing some very good baseball lately. They haven’t wilted despite numerous injuries to key players. Few people expected them to go 20-9 in the direct aftermath of Kendry Morales’ devastating injury at home plate on May 29. But that’s exactly what the Halos have done in the last month or so, even with injuries to Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar adding to the difficulty of the challenge.

Problem is, this 20-9 stretch hasn’t been enough to gain any ground in the standings. As a matter of fact, they’ve lost ground. The Angels were 2.5 games behind Texas on the day of Morales’ injury (May 29), and as the calendar turns to July, they sit 4.5 back. The reason: the Rangers have been the hottest team in baseball the past month, going 21-6.

The Rangers have a reputation of being good up into the summer, then wilting in the Texas heat. But they sure look the part of a team that will finally hang around come this September. The Rangers’ starting rotation has been uncharacteristically solid and the team has solidified its usually-troubling bullpen, with Neftali Feliz emerging as one of the game’s top closers. Oh, and their lineup is pretty good too – the lowest batting average of their first six hitters is .294.

Making matters a little more troubling to Angel fans is the fact that the Rangers owe a good deal of their success to former Halos. Vlad Guerrero is absolutely crushing the ball for the Rangers this season as if he were 28 again, causing some to speculate that the fountain of youth may indeed be in Arlington, Texas. A big part of the Rangers’ bullpen success has been relievers Darren O’Day and Darren Oliver.

But while the Angels didn’t catch Texas with their 20-9 run, they did keep themselves within striking distance. They still have a good chance of claiming their sixth division title in seven years. And if they do, it will be perhaps their hardest earned AL West crown. In a division that has been relatively void of intense competition in recent years, the Halos look to finally have a formidable challenger on their hands.

Mike Scioscia’s steady guidance will keep the Angels surging towards their goal. The starting rotation has settled in nicely and the bullpen is continuing to get stronger. Role players have stepped in and done commendable jobs for injured starters. The Halos will likely be right there in the season’s final month. Whether they win the division will have a lot to do with how successful they are in messing with Texas from here on out.

In an odd scheduling twist, the teams have only met four times thus far, leaving 14 games between the two rivals going into Thursday’s series finale. The Angels and Rangers will meet for two series in late July and then again for two series in late September, which could go a long way to determining the division champ. The Halos conclude the regular season with a four-game set in Arlington. It certainly looks to be an interesting summer…

By Blake Warren