A.L. west

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

CF Steve Finley has been mired in a seasonlong slump and was benched during a recent series to work on vision and swinging drills that had him focusing on staying inside the ball with his swing. ... After missing two starts because of a left forearm strain, LHP Jarrod Washburn was activated from the D.L. Washburn has matured into more of a pitcher this season, changing speeds and location instead of just trying to throw balls past hitters.

MOST IMPROVED: A friend of Joel Peralta's convinced him to convert from an infielder to a pitcher when it was clear that would be his only path to the majors. Peralta, a righthanded reliever, struggled early this spring but was called up in May and has pitched his way into the bullpen. He has a lively Iow-90s fastball and combines that with a split-finger fastball. He seems to have no fear of challenging hitters. Peralta mostly draws middle-relief duty and works in some setup situations when the bullpen is stretched.--Mike Scarr

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Manager Ken Macha has been primarily going with Mark Ellis at second base. Ellis, who missed the 2004 season because of a shoulder injury, is one of Oakland's hottest hitters. The team's other second baseman, Marco Scutaro, also can play shortstop, third base and the outfield. ... RHP Jay Witasick has been so impressive since his trade to the team that he might start getting the call to close when rookie RHP Huston Street is unavailable. ... Expect backup C Adam Melhuse to get more playing time the rest of the season because the team will rest Jason Kendall. MOST IMPROVED: Rookie OF Nick Swisher often overswung earlier this season and sometimes made poor fielding decisions. He has worked daily with outfield coach Brad Fischer on fielding, learning when it makes sense to dive for a ball, and his work with hitting coach Dave Hudgens has resulted in a more consistent but no less aggressive approach at the plate.--Mychael Urban

SEATTLE MARINERS

Now that RHP Felix Hernandez has arrived, the team has three pitchers (LHP Matt Thornton and RHP JJ. Putz are the others) who throw fastballs in the 95- to 98-mph range. ... LF Chris Snelling (knee), who was recalled from the minors in July, went on the disabled list last week. Manager Mike Hargrove believes Snelling eventually could develop into a power threat, hitting 20 to 25 home runs a season. That would help because CF Jeremy Reed and RF Ichiro Suzuki don't figure to hit many homers. ... Suzuki no longer tries to bunt for hits. Through 111 games, he had no bunt singles, continuing a decrease from his rookie year, 2001, when he bunted for 11 hits. MOST IMPROVED: The extra work 2B Willie Bloomquist put in early in the season has paid off since he became an everyday player July 2. He was batting .206 but hit .319 in July. He handles the bat better than anyone on the team except Suzuki and is the Mariners' smartest baserunner.--Jim Street

TEXAS RANGERS

2B Alfonso Soriano's aggressiveness on the bases is directly connected to his state of mind. Even when he's healthy, the fear of suffering another injury has affected his ability to steal bases; for the second straight season, he appears on track to steal far fewer bases than he did from 2001-03. ... Once considered the top lefthanded setup candidate on the team, Ron Mahay could be on his way out of the organization. He recently was designated for assignment and eventually reported to the minors as a probable starter, in part because of struggles with his command and decreased velocity and movement on his fastball. MOST IMPROVED: OF David Dellucci's controlled aggressiveness at the plate has helped him develop into a solid everyday contributor. Not known for his power, Dellucci tried to hit home runs early in his tenure with the Rangers but has grown comfortable with taking walks and driving the ball for base hits.--Jesse Sanchez

TSNumbers

By MLB.com correspondents

1-54 The Giants' record when trailing after seven innings, a testament to the struggles of the bullpen and offense.

20 Disabling injuries the Dodgers have had this year, resulting in a flood of inexperienced replacements and inconsistent performances throughout the lineup.

6-3, 3.93 The record and ERA of the Rockies' bullpen since the All-Star break. The team's relievers were 6-16 with a 5.51 ERA before the break.

.340 Morgan Ensberg's batting average with runners in scoring position. The Astros' turnaround began when Ensberg settled into the cleanup spot, providing protection for Lance Berkman in the No. 3 slot.

400 Innings Greg Maddux must throw in 2004 and 2005 combined to trigger a $9 million option in his 2006 Cubs contract. Maddux entered the week with 369 1/3 innings in that span.

1.4 Home runs per game for the Reds, tops in the National League. The club tried to emphasize situational hitting during spring training, but it still lives and dies with the long ball.

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