The Los Angeles Angels pulled out all the stops over the weekend in Arlington, starting both Ervin Santana and Jered Weaver on short rest against the Texas Rangers, but it didn't quite payoff as they hoped. Texas won two of three games and widened their lead over the Angels to three games in the American League West. The Halos face an uphill battle with 29 games remaining.
The good news for the Angels is that they trail Texas by only two in the loss column, but the bad news is that Texas has two fewer games remaining than the Angels, meaning five days off instead of three. These two teams battle in Anaheim for the final three games of the season, and the next four weeks will determine whether or not those games matter.
The Angels have 15 home games remaining and 14 road contests left, compared to 12 home games and 15 road games left for Texas.
Before their final three games with Texas, the Angels play just one team with a winning record, as the Halos host the Yankees from September 9-11.
The Rangers still have to play six games against the Rays (73-59) and three against the Red Sox (82-51). The Angels' best bet to gain ground might be in the next 10 days, as the Rangers play nine games against Tampa Bay and Boston while the Angels battle the Mariners (56-76) and Twins (56-77) for 10 contests.
The Rangers host the Indians (65-65) for three games, contrasting the Angels traveling to Toronto (66-67) for four games.
Both the Angels and Rangers play two more series each against Seattle and Oakland, with the Angels having one more game in Seattle, opening a four-game series tonight.
If the Angels start their big three of Weaver, Dan Haren, and Santana on regular four days rest the remainder of the season, those three will start 18 of the final 29 games for the Angels. The Halos are 46-34 in games started by those three pitchers this season, and 26-27 in games started by everyone else.