5 American League Players Who Need to Have a Big Week

Every week, at least one American League player ends up stealing the spotlight and keeping it all to himself.

This past week, it was Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. All he did was hit a ridiculous .467 with nine home runs and 18 RBI over the last seven days. Most notably, he slugged four home runs in a game against the Baltimore Orioles last Tuesday.

The question now is which AL players are going to follow Hamilton's fine example.

That remains to be seen. What we know for sure right now is that there are a handful of players who should feel compelled to have great weeks.

Here's a look at five slumping AL players that need to show up big over the next seven days.

Josh Beckett, SP, Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox hurler Josh Beckett had an absolutely terrible week last week.

It started with the golf fiasco, but things got a lot worse when Beckett took the mound against the Cleveland Indians on Thursday. They pounded him for seven earned runs in just 2.1 innings.

Beckett enters the week looking for redemption, and the good news for him is that redemption is within reach. He'll get to face the light-hitting Seattle Mariners on Tuesday at Fenway Park, and he'll wrap up the week in Philadelphia when he faces the Phillies on Sunday.

The Red Sox also need Jon Lester to get on track in his two starts this week, but his issues pale in comparison to Beckett's. He hasn't looked like an ace this season, and he hasn't acted like a responsible major league player either.

All will be forgiven if Beckett pitches well. If he doesn't start doing that, things are going to go from bad to worse.

Dan Haren, SP, Los Angeles Angels

Something's up with Dan Haren. He hasn't looked like himself all year, and his numbers suggest that he's not himself.

Haren enters the week with an uncharacteristic 4.19 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. In his last start against the Minnesota Twins, he lasted just 3.2 innings and gave up eight hits and five earned runs without striking anyone out.

This is concerning because, you know, he was facing the Twins. Even with a stiff back (see MLB.com), he should have been able to handle them easily enough.

Haren will make two starts this week, and they offer him two very good chances to redeem himself. He's set to face the Oakland A's on Monday night in Anaheim, and then he'll pitch again on Saturday against the Padres in San Diego.

So in the next seven days, Haren will make starts against two of the worst offensive teams in the majors, one of which will come at the best pitchers' park in the league. 

If Haren doesn't make the most of these starts, the Angels can move their finger closer to the panic button.

Adam Lind, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays

Adam Lind has had a very hard time getting on track this season, as he enters the week batting just .189/.274/.324 with three home runs and 11 RBI.

Lind has been particularly bad since the start of May. He's hit two home runs, but he's batting just .139 this month.

The good news for the Jays is that their offense has been producing all season anyway despite Lind's struggles, and Jose Bautista is starting to come around after a slow start. If Lind can get going too, the Jays are going to have one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball.

Now would be a good time for Lind to come around. He and the Jays are looking at two short series against the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees this week before they host the New York Mets over the weekend. 

Lind is due for a big week, and a big week from him will help the Jays move towards the top of the AL East.

Albert Pujols, 1B, Los Angeles Angels

Albert Pujols found his way onto this list last week, as he had a chance to get on a roll after finally hitting his first home run of the season.

Pujols didn't get on a roll. In fact, he continued slumping to the tune of a .192 batting average over the last seven days. He enters the week with a .196 batting average.

So it goes for Pujols this year, and it's getting to be a little late in the season for us to write off his struggles as a fluke. He's been a complete mess all season, and to say that his struggles are alarming would be a massive understatement.

Pujols is not going to bat below .200 all season. It's just a matter of time before he gets hot. When he does, the Angels will get hot.

He'll start the week with games against the Oakland A's and Chicago White Sox before he and the Angels head to San Diego to take on the Padres. He's a lifetime .333 hitter against the Padres, and it could be that a little National League pitching is just what he needs to get going.

B.J. Upton, CF, Tampa Bay Rays

B.J. Upton is doing his underachieving thing again. Outside of a very good series against the Oakland A's, he's been invisible in the month of May.

Upton is batting .154 this month, and his batting average is all the way down to .257. The concerning parts are that he entered the month with a .387 batting average, and that this slump of his started when Evan Longoria had to go on the disabled list.

The Rays need the rest of their hitters to pick up the slack while Longo is out, and that's something Upton hasn't been doing. It's obviously not entirely Upton's fault that the Rays have lost six of their last 10 games, but he definitely hasn't helped.

The Rays will start the week with a brief two-game series in Toronto before heading to Boston to play a two-game series against the Boston Red Sox. They'll then have to host a very tough Atlanta Braves team for three games.

This week has the potential to be very rough on the Rays. Now is as good a time as ever for Upton to get hot.

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