A.L. west

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

The bullpen has been average in the second half after dominating early. RHP Scot Shields had a dead arm for about a month, and though the problem is behind him, his slider is not as sharp as it was early in the season. RHP Brendan Donnelly's velocity is down, making him more hittable. RHP Francisco Rodriguez has been strong as the closer, but the team needs to find a solid setup man just to reach the playoffs, let alone make a postseason run. ... RHP Kelvim Escobar was activated from the D.L. after recovering from June elbow surgery. Escobar has been a starter with the Angels, but his experience as a reliever (he saved 38 games with Toronto in 2002) and power arm could stabilize the shaky bullpen. SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: RHP Bartolo Colon has been more effective this season because he is throwing more early strikes, especially with his two-seam fastball. In 2004, hitters would take early pitches and escalate Colon's pitch count, but he is forcing them to swing earlier this season.--Mike Scarr

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

The club has been taking different approaches with the workloads of its young starters. RHP Rich Harden has thrown more than 100 pitches in 12 games this season. RHP Joe Blanton had been limited to about 100 pitches until recently but probably will be allowed to throw perhaps 115 in the coming weeks. There's less concern about limiting RHP Danny Haren because he pitched into the World Series last season. ... The A's will be cooked if SS Bobby Crosby (ankle) can't return within a week or so. His presence lets manager Ken Macha go with a left-right-left approach throughout the lineup. SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: C Jason Kendall, a .306 hitter in nine NL seasons, insists that switching leagues has had little to do with his struggles this season. Rather, he has gotten into some bad habits, such as dropping his bat head below his hands and getting under more balls, which have led to weak fly balls to left and center field.--Mychael Urban

SEATTLE MARINERS

There are four righthanders in the bullpen, so it's unlikely RHPs Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Jeff Nelson will get much work the rest of the season. Hasegawa will not make enough appearances to kick in his option for 2006. ... RF Ichiro Suzuki, who already has set a career high in home runs (15), probably has a better chance to set a career high in RBIs-he needs six to reach 70--than to reach 200 hits. He needs 28 hits in his last 20 games. ... LF Mike Morse's 10-game suspension for a positive steroids test probably guarantees he'll play in the Arizona Fall League and work on his defense. Morse, a converted shortstop, has improved but needs more work. SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: SS Yuniesky Betancourt and 2B Jose Lopez are sure-handed, have great range and are getting better as they play more together. The team has the top-rated defense in the American League, and it has gotten better since Betancourt and Lopez became everyday starters.--Jim Street

TEXAS RANGERS

Mark DeRosa has been impressive in his first season as the club's utilityman and is making a bid for a return next year. He has a reputation as a solid infielder but also can play left and right field. ... SS Michael Young has become the consummate No. 2 hitter, illustrated by his ability to hit balls to the opposite field. A righthanded hitter, Young uses sound mechanics to help him hit the ball hard to the right side. ... C Sandy Alomar, 39, believes his good physical condition will allow him to return to the team next year. However, the club has C Rod Barajas and promising C Gerald Laird and might not need Alomar. SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: Rookie RHP Edison Volquez already has gotten the message that major league hitters are quick to detect patterns that might give them an edge. Volquez saw on tape recently that he subconsciously was opening his glove while throwing his changeup and closing it before delivering his fastball. He believes that is why he got rocked in a September 4 start at Kansas City.--Robert Falkoff

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