AL West : Angels and Mariners

What is wrong in the AL West? All the serious division contenders have major injury issues that could derail their high expectations.

The Los Angeles Angels have to be reeling following the news that Kelvim Escobar is likely done for the 2008 season. This has the immediate effect of making Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, Dustin Moseley or rookie Nick Adenhart a permanent 2008 rotation member. And none is expected to pitch as well as Escobar did last season.

That news followed the injury news on top middle reliever Scot Shields. He will begin the season on the DL due to forearm issues. Without a dependable bridge from the 8th inning to closer, Francisco Rodriguez, can the Angels rely on any of those four pitchers to consistently pitch into the 7th or will they be out by the 6th and cause the Angels bullpen to throw two or three innings each night to just get to K-Rod?

Preceding the Shields news was news that ace John Lackey will be lost until mid-May. This left the Angels a starting rotation of Jered Weaver, Jon Garland, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and either Dustin Mosely or Nick Adenhart.

That rotation cannot stave off a better Seattle Mariner's team. With a rotation of Erik Bedard, Felix Hernandez, Carlos Silva, Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista, the Mariners should win the battle of these two leading Al West contenders.

Unfortunately, the Mariners have some injury concerns of their on at their corners. Richie Sexson has been alluding to injury issues that are the cause of his loss of major league hitting ability, and 3B Adrian Beltre has revelaed that he is playign through a wrist injury that did not heal over the winter.

Given Sexson's production last season, the MAriners' can ably replace it with Brad Wilkerson at 1B while installing rookie Wladimir Balentien in RF. it is replacing Beltre that is more troublesome. Miguel Cairo or Willie Bloomquist can only be consider MaLPinos as regular players.

Another option at 1B would be to move Jose Vidro from the Dh role to 1B and install rookie Jeff Clement or Balentien at DH. It would likely wash with Clement upgrading power at DH and Vidro upgrading the hitting at 1B.

Either way, the Mariners will need to shuffle a couple of key hitters who are expected to hit in the middle of their order. Will their starting rotation be enough to offset that loss of offense or will the weakened Angels' rotation and their current offense still be too much?

As for the Texas Rangers and Oakland A's, let just say I don't believe either to be serious contenders barring the ermegence of 3-5 starting pitchers on each team.