The Angels went a solid 5-2 last week as they outscored their opponents 45-30. Finally the bats came alive last week and the pitching stayed solid. The Angels are now 14-11 on the season which is good for first place in the American League West, 1.5 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners.

When Vladimir Guerrero is locked in like he is right now he’s impossible to pitch to because he can hit anything a pitcher throws up there. I think if a pitcher one hopped a pitch to the plate, Guerrero could still hit it 400+ feet right now. Guerrero has played in 20 games so far this season and he’s hitting .377 with a 1.172 OPS! Guerrero is 26 for 69 with 13 runs scored, 6 homers and 20 RBIs so far this season. The really amazing thing about Guerrero is that no one is really hitting behind him and he’s still ripping the cover off of the baseball. If not for A-Rod’s unbelievable start, people would be talking up Vald the Impaler.

The Angels offense isn’t good enough as a whole to carry a position that provides little with the bat. Mike Napoli is the starter and he’s off to a rough start. In 12 games he’s ony hitting .205 with a .664 OPS for the Angels. He is 8 for 39 with 4 runs, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. The Angels probably would forgive a low batting average from Napoli if he starts hitting for the power he showed he had last season. He does whiff a lot as he’s already went down 12 times in only 39 at bats. Jose Molina played in 7 games this season and he’s only hitting .208 with a .416 OPS. He has yet to drive in or score a run in 24 at bats this season.

The Angels went 3-3 last week as they were outscored 25-24. They will have to win with pitching while Chone Figgins and Howie Kendrick are both out. The Angels are now tied with the Oakland A’s for first place in the American League West, 1 game ahead of the Texas Rangers.

In the Angels neverending search for a lefty reliever they signed Darren Oliver who pitched pretty well for the Mets last season. But he’s been just as bad as J.C. Romero was last season for the Angels so far this season. Oliver has pitched in 6 games so far this season and he’s 0-0 with a 12.50 ERA and a 3.33 WHIP! In 3 innings this season, Oliver has allowed 6 hits, 4 earned runs and 4 walks. If Oliver doesn’t straighten up soon he will be relugated to mop-up duty for the Angels.

Starting 2B Howie Kendrick was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Angels with a broken bone in a finger of his. He’s likely to miss about a month. This will hurt the Angels who have had problems scoring runs. Kendrick has played in 14 games this season for the Angels and he is 16 for 49 (.327 avg, .855 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers, 4 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. In the short team, Erick Aybar will replace Kendrick. Aybar has played in 7 games so far this season and he’s 1 for 8 (.125 avg). When Chone Figgins returns, Maicer Izturis will likely shift to 2B until Kendrick is ready to return.

The Angels went 1-4 last week and they were outscored 30-13! It’s hard to win ballgames when you only score 2.6 runs per game like the Angels did last week. The pitching, which is supposed to be the team strength, let them down last week too. The Angels are currently in 2nd place in the American League West with a 6-6 record, only 1 game behind the Seattle Mariners.

The Angels have placed Kelvim Escobar on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. He was 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in 2 starts this season for the Angels. The Angels are lucky that they are so deep in their rotation as Dustin Moseley will replace Escobar now that Jered Weaver is ready to return. Moseley has pitched great so far this season as he is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 2 starts.

John Lackey has been a solid pitcher in the past, but it seems to me like he might be ready to take his game to a new level. He has the stuff to win a Cy Young Award at some point in his career and it might be sooner rather than later. He has started this season out 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He’s also whiffed 11 batters in 12 innings this season because of his nasty stuff. Look for him to continue pitching well for the Angels.

Orlando Cabrera and Mike Napoli both need to swing the bats better to help the Angels. Cabrera is 6 for 31 (.194 avg, .555 OPS) with 3 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Look for him to snap out of his slump soon because he’s too good of a hitter to keep this up. Mike Napoli is 3 for 16 (.188 avg) with 2 runs scored so far this season. He had better hit better soon because he can be replaced with Jose Molina and Jeff Mathis waiting for a chance to play behind him.