Best of the American League West setting the pace for baseball’s second half

San Francisco Giants must arrest slide to keep pace with Los Angeles Dodgers and duplicate AL West duel

Huston Street of the San Diego Padres pumps his fist after getting the final out during the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park on June 30, 2014, in San Diego, California. Denis Poroy / Getty Images
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With almost 100 games gone, Major League Baseball is well and truly in its second half. While there are two-and-a-half months left, some separation is now obvious.

At this point, whether you prefer to look at the numbers or rely on the eye test, the class of the majors clearly resides in the American League West. The Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels are the only teams winning at a .600 clip or better, and both sides have made moves that show they have World Series ambitions.

The Athletics broke with their reputation for budget-conscious planning this month when they traded three top prospects to the Chicago Cubs for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. That shored up their starting pitching, their biggest concern this season.

The Angels followed suit over the weekend, trading four prospects to acquire Huston Street and another relief prospect from the San Diego Padres. The bullpen is their biggest worry, and with Jason Grilli returning to form, the stage appears set for a fascinating duel.

Play-off berths seem certain, but do not expect either side to let up early. There is a big incentive to win the division because, if the season ended today, the runner-up would face the Seattle Mariners in a one-game play-off. While the Mariners as a group are not especially frightening, Felix Hernandez is not the pitcher you want to face in a must-win game.

There were hopes the National League West would produce a similar duel between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. While the Giants top the division by one game, these are two teams headed in opposite directions. San Francisco’s early success was built on an unexpected power surge that ultimately proved unsustainable, while the Dodgers are ridiculously deep and could soon be even more so.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price is among the most-coveted bits of trade bait, and the Dodgers are uniquely positioned to make a run at him, thanks to their willingness to spend big money in the short term and their collection of developing prospects. Adding Price to a rotation that already includes Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Ryu Hyun-jin almost seems unfair, but it could also be considered a defensive move to keep him out of the hands of any World Series rivals.

Meanwhile, one of the most intriguing individual stories is lurking mostly unnoticed. Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander dominate the spotlight in Detroit, but Victor Martinez is quietly putting together a historic season.

He has 21 home runs and 27 strikeouts, and if he finishes the season with more homers than strikeouts, he will be the third player since 1960 to do so, joining Barry Bonds and George Brett. For context, 11 other players have 20 or more home runs this season, but their average strikeout total is 74.

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