Los Angeles Angels Predictions: How the (AL) West Was Won

During the course of the long baseball season, July and August are the great equalizers. They call them "the dog days of summer," and the heat and the long, droning summer afternoons that accompany these days are typically where contenders win, pretenders fold and divisions are settled.

For the Los Angeles Angels, here in the dog days of summer, they have their work cut out for them. They currently trail the defending American League champion Texas Rangers by three games after defeating them 1-0 on Thursday afternoon. The Angels cooled off the white-hot Rangers, as they handed them their second straight loss after Texas had won its previous 12.

Although Angels fans would love to brush off the notion that the Angels must win the AL West to see October, there seems to be little hope that they will be able to keep pace with the Red Sox or Yankees for the AL Wild Card berth. They trail the New York Yankees by 5.5 games.

Thus, while there's no need to panic just yet, the Halos must focus their sights on some manageable goals in order to catch the streaking Texas Rangers.  Here are the top five things that need to happen in order for the Angels to win the AL West and catch that last train into October.

No. 1: Jered Weaver and Dan Haren Must Continue To Dominate

Aside from a few hiccups here and there, Jered Weaver and Dan Haren have been spectacular this season.

And they have to keep it up.

I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that Weaver will have to keep his ERA below 1.50 because it's more about wins from here on out, but nonetheless the two have to continue their nearly perfect pitching if the Angels want to stay in the hunt.

As for Haren, if his last start against Texas is any indication of things to come, the Angels may be dead where they stand. On Wednesday night, Haren gave up seven earned runs and nine hits in just 4.1 innings.

With Ervin Santana as inconsistent as he has been from start to start, a rookie, Tyler Chatwood, shakily holding down the fifth pitching spot and Joel Pineiro hovering between the mound and DL all year, Weaver and Haren must continue dominating, or the Angels really are finished.

That is a lot of pressure for the two young right-handers.

No. 2: Erick Aybar Cannot Revert to 2010 Form

Erick Aybar is the most important piece in the Angel lineup.

For as much as has been made about finding a power hitter at third base, without Aybar hitting the way he has in the leadoff spot, the Angels are a very different and much worse team.

Compare this year's team to last year's, when Aybar wasn't hitting well. The approach of the team was completely different with Aybar in the nine slot, and its record shows the difference.

Aybar, when hitting well, is the most underrated shortstop in the game. He hits the ball well, can steal a bag, stretches out for an extra base and is an absolute wizard defensively. He has even added a little pop to his game this year, hitting seven home runs in 334 at-bats. Simply put: He is the real deal.

On a different team, Howie Kendrick may be more valuable, but with as few other leadoff-type hitters as the Angels have, Aybar is irreplaceable.

No. 3: The Angels Must Beat the Rangers When They Play Head-to-Head

Remember the days when the Angels used to own the Rangers? Vladimir Guerrero was launching balls into the stands, John Lackey was dealing shutouts and the Angels were winning the AL West every year.

From 2005 to 2008, the Angels went 48-28 against the Rangers head-to-head, but in the two-and-a-half years since then, the Angels are just 21-25.

Clearly, things are different now—for both the Angels and the Rangers. The Rangers are the second-best hitting team in the AL and rank second in the home run department as well. If the Angels are to slow the Rangers' furious attack, they'll have to beat them head-to-head, and they'll have to do it behind dominant pitching.

No. 4: Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells Must Become Run Producers

Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells have been disappointing this year. It's not because they haven't hit home runs, which they haven't with any great frequency (Hunter has 12, and Wells has 14). They've been disappointing because they aren't producing runs like the middle of your order ought.

Combined, the aging duo has collected only 58 extra-base hits in 631 at-bats. Also, they are both hitting under .240, which is well below their career averages. Hopefully this suggests a big second half for both outfielders, as the Angels will need their bats to come to life in order to keep up with the free-swinging Rangers.

No. 5: The Angel Youngsters Must Continue To Play Effectively

One of the most exciting things about this 2011 Angels team is the young talent that Mike Scioscia is putting on the field day in and day out. At points throughout the season, all big four Angel prospects (Mike Trout, Hank Conger, Peter Bourjos and Mark Trumbo) have played well beyond their years and, as a result, have helped their team win.

However, this is also a shaky foundation on which to build a successful team. While the youngsters are playing well beyond their years, you do have to wonder how long they can keep it up.

Trumbo is the team leader in home runs with 18 but inexplicably continues to hit near the bottom of the lineup. Understandably, Trumbo is young and impressionable, but Scioscia needs producers in the middle of the lineup, and right now Trumbo is producing.

Also, both the defense and speed of Bourjos have been sorely missed in the nine slot while he has been on the DL. Trout has done a decent job—as decent a job as a 19-year-old kid can do—while Bourjos has been out, but clearly he needs some more time in the minors before he becomes an impact player at the major league level.

No. 5-A*: Tony Reagins Must Fill the Power Void with a Blockbuster Trade

Okay, so I am throwing down a big asterisk on this one. I don't believe that it is mandatory for Tony Reagins pull the trigger on a trade to bring in a big slugger (preferably a lefty or a third baseman—or both); however, I'm saying it would help.

Don't get me wrong—there are caveats all over the place on this one.

First, I have been a big supporter of Alberto Callaspo and the job he has done as the Angels' almost-everyday third baseman this year. His ability to put the ball in play and hit around .290-.300 has been so important to the soft-hitting Angels this year that I believe they could still make a run at the Rangers with him as their starter.

However, if the opportunity presents itself to get, oh, I don't know, Aramis Ramirez without shipping out one of their four top prospects, Reagins should do it. Ramirez would just fit so snugly right in that lineup. If they can get him, he provides the power in the middle of the order and a strong presence at third base, which would both help contribute to a healthy run at the Texas Rangers come September.