AL West stretch run: Angels' biggest rival is health

The most anticlimactic division race in baseball is the American League West, where the Los Angeles Angels' magic number to clinch is just 13 entering Aug. 29. The Angels lead Texas by 16 games after rallying to beat the Rangers 7-5 on Thursday.

So they can afford to have the team look a little like the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, because that's become a necessity this week.

Underrated second baseman Howie Kendrick is on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, and shorstop Willie Aybar has a minor hamstring issue as well. Third baseman Chone Figgins has a bad toe, and super utility man Maicer Izturis is out for the year with a thumb injury.

So the Angels will take extended looks at prospects Brandon Wood, Sean Rodriguez and Matt Brown - or they might deal for some insurance. If they clear waivers, the Angels could trade for an infielder such as Toronto's John McDonald or former Angels standout David Eckstein or Baltimore's Juan Castro.

• Why the Angels will win: They could likely field you and me in the middle infield and still make the playoffs with the kind of lead they have now. But they want to be playing their best in October, and this rash of injuries are a little like deja vu from 2007 in Orange County.
• Key series: Texas at Los Angeles, this weekend; Angels at White Sox, Sept. 5-7. They should clinch sometime around then.

Tomorrow: We wrap this up with the tightly contested NL East.