May 19, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels left fielder J.B. Shuck (39) and catcher Chris Iannetta (17) celebrate with center fielder Mike Trout (27) after both running in a score off of a hit by Los Angeles Angels short stop Erick Aybar (not pictured) against the Chicago White Sox during the third inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels have won two games in a row after splitting a four game series with the Chicago White Sox at home. Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Sox is precisely what GM Jerry DiPoto had envisioned in the offseason – a powerful offense producing six runs in support of Jason Vargas who threw seven scoreless innings for his third win of the season. One impressive note: Vargas has successfully lowered his ERA from 6.75 in mid-April to 3.55 today. The southern California native has refused to give up in the face of early season adversity.  The club is hoping to return to form once a number of key players return from the DL – most notably ace Jared Weaver and center fielder Peter Bourjos (who led the team in batting average before injuring his hamstring).  And that doesn’t include closer Ryan Madson who can add further depth to a notoriously unreliable “Blowpen.”

Unfortunately, the Angels have failed to make up ground in their division despite adding a few W’s to the win column. The Halos are now 17-27 (.386) and 12 games back of the division leading Texas Rangers. Not even a red-hot Miguel Cabrera and his ridiculous five RBI’s (on three home runs) could derail the Rangers on Sunday night in Arlington. Texas will need to cool off during the summer months if the Angels hope to make up any significant ground in the standings.

A new week provides a familiar opponent as the Angels start a two game series against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The third place Mariners have posted a 20-25 record having lost their last four against manager Terry Francona and his AL Central leading Cleveland Indians.

Game One: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:05 PST, Angel Stadium of Anaeim. Aaron Harang is scheduled to take the mound for the Seattle Mariners. Harang was scratched from his Thursday start against the Yankees after complaining of lower back stiffness. He now appears ready to go after a recent bullpen session. Good news for the Angels – Harang is 1-4 with a 7.35 ERA and has yet to find a groove since being traded to Seattle from the Colorado Rockies.

The Angels are scheduled to start Jerome Williams who is 2-1 (3.05 ERA) and coming off a strong performance against the White Sox. Williams had another impressive performance, allowing only two runs in six innings but was pulled by manager Mike Scioscia in a head-scratching move after throwing just 74 pitches. Williams didn’t appear fatigued and implied as much in a post-game interview.

Game Two: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 7:05 p.m., Angel Stadium of Anahiem. Two local boys duel it out as lefty C.J. Wilson (3-3, 3.72) will take the mound against RHP Brandon Maurer (2-5, 5.75 ERA). C.J.’s last two losses against the White Sox are not indicative of his incredible pitching performance – he simply had the unenviable position of going up against Chris Sale (who managed to one-hit and three-hit the Angels in his last two starts). I can only imagine that Wilson is looking forward to facing this Seattle lineup with a different opposing pitcher on the mound.

May 9, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia (14) argues with umpire Adrian Johnson (not pictured) against the Houston Astros in the seventh inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels (12-22, .353) snapped a four game losing streak last night, beating the Astros 6-5 in the final game of their three game series at Houston.  The Halos avoided the dreaded sweep thanks largely in part to Mark Trumbo‘s two-run double followed by an Albert Callaspo sac fly.  Their 12 wins rank the Halos 28th in MLB and 14th in the American League.

It should be noted the Angels left 16 runners on base and went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.  It looked like the bases were always loaded but the offense just couldn’t capitalize when they needed to.  What is it about RISP that makes the big bats freeze up?

Garrett Richards was charged with the win and is now 2-3 with a 4.96 ERA.  C.J. Wilson currently leads the staff with a 3.86 ERA.  So yeah, that’s the kind of season we’re having so far.

Maybe the best moment from last night:  Mike Scioscia left the dugout and showed a little fire for a change!  I won’t go into the umpire fiasco that is currently lighting up the internet, but let’s just say Scioscia looked upset – like someone ordered him a salad for dinner – upset (see above).

The Halos are now nine games back and sitting comfortably (or maybe uncomfortably) in 4th place in the AL West.  The White Sox are struggling as well, posting a 14 – 18 (.438) record in the AL Central and five games back of the division leading Tigers.  Any other fans want to move the Angels to the AL Central?

Angels RHP Tommy Hanson was scheduled to start tonight but is dealing with issues related to a death in the family.  According to MLB.com, the Angels will call up a player to be named from Triple-A Salt Lake – many are speculating that Orangel Arenas (1-5, 6.57 ERA) will receive the call as he is the only pitcher with the required rest.

The White Sox are coming off a 6-3 win against the New York Mets Wednesday night, and are looking to continue this trend against the Angels.

Game One:  Friday, May 10th, 5:10 PM PT @ U.S. Cellular Field (T.V. FS-W, MLBN, KLAA 830 Radio).  The Angels starter is TBD.  The White Sox will throw Dylan Axelrod (0-2, 3.60 ERA) to start the series.  Axelrod has pitched better than his stats show, allowing three runs or fewer in five of his six starts according to MLB.com.

Game Two:  In game two Jerome Williams (1-1, 3.16 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound against LHP Jose Quintana (2-0, 3.86).  Quintana has looked good as of late, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

Game Three:  The rubber match will showcase LHP C.J. Wilson (3-1, 3.86 ERA) facing off against the White Sox lefty Chris Sale (302, 3.43 ERA).  Sale is the ace of the Chicago staff and should make for a compelling match-up to end the series.

Feb. 21, 2113; Tempe, AZ, USA: Los Angeles Angels players (from left), infielder Mark Trumbo , outfielder Mike Trout , first baseman Albert Pujols and outfielder Josh Hamilton pose for a portrait during photo day at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles sports teams have a lot in common these days.  Their bloated payrolls and lack of performance appear downright contagious.  Anyone remember when the Los Angeles Lakers were crowned NBA Champions before starting their 2012 – 2013 season?  Yup.  Even before stepping foot inside the Staples Center, the Lakers were a virtual “lock” to challenge the Miami Heat for the NBA title.  By signing Dwight Howard and Steve Nash – two stars that would compliment an aging Kobe Bryant – the team (according to local media) was destined to win their 17th Championship.

And we all know how that turned out – the Lakers were bounced from the playoffs after losing four straight games against the San Antonio Spurs.  The Lakers literally limped into the seventh seed in the Western Conference and didn’t look healthy enough (or young enough) to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs.

Seeing any similarities here?  The Angels experienced a similar fate last season.  After signing Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson to huge contracts in the off-season, a number of media outlets (including Sports Illustrated) picked the Halos to win the World Series.  Not the American League West.  The WORLD SERIES.  And when you looked at the lineup no one in their right mind would disagree.  After all, owner Arte Moreno and GM Jerry DiPoto succedded in adding arguably the best hitter in the game to a potent offense led by 2012 golden boy Mike Trout.  Throw in a solid number two LHP to compliment ace Jared Weaver and a World Series appearance seemed like a no-brainer.

Or so we thought….

The Angels finished a disappointing 89-73 last season.  After a slow start in April, the club managed to dig a hole in the AL west that they simply couldn’t climb out of.  I remember watching the final game of the season pondering what had gone wrong.  And I wasn’t alone – Halo fans were shocked as the Angels watched the World Series from the comfort of their cushy southern California (aka: Newport Coast) homes.  Forget about the World Series. After the dust settled, there wasn’t even a wild card available for a club that was THE team to beat in 2012.  A third place finish in their division was a disappointment to say the least.

And the worst part?  History has a way of repeating itself.

Owner Arte Moreno – who appears obsessed with marquee players – went out and signed Josh Hamilton to the tune of $133 million for 5 years.  Good move, right? Maybe not.

I’ll be the first to admit that I was ecstatic about this signing for two reasons:  1. The Angels managed to steal an incredibly talented franchise player away from their division rivals, and 2. Hamilton can be the hottest player in baseball when he’s locked on.

“When” is the key word there.

You would think that a lineup littered with offensive talent (i.e. Trout, Trumbo, Hamilton and Pujols) would be able to put up enough runs to offset the deficiencies of a thin pitching staff.  At least that’s what DiPoto thought – and I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t think his strategy might actually work.  Granted, 34 games may not be a large enough sample size, but it’s safe to say that we don’t like what we’ve seen thus far.  The pitching has been mediocre at best and the offensive production has been incredibly anemic at times.

The Angels are currently 12-22 after dropping two of three games in their series against the Houston Astros this week.  12 wins for a roster that reported a 2013 opening day payroll of $139,914,107.00 is an ugly stat.

That astronomical number puts the Angels just under the MLB luxury tax of $178mm for 2013 (the luxury tax will increase to $189mm in 2014).  Fans around greater Los Angeles began referring to the Angels as the “Yankees West” last season.  The only difference – the New York Yankees actually win after spending that kind of money.

As if we needed more bad news, the club managed to clean out their farm system in the process (sending Jean Segura for a Zack Greinke Netflix rental is the most recent example of this).  Don’t believe me?  According the Baseball America and ESPN, the Angels farm system now ranks 30th out of 30 Major League teams.  A minor league system that was once boiling over with talent now has top prospects 3B Kaleb Cowart, LHP Nick Maronde, and 1B C.J. Cron - all three started the season in AA and are working their way up to the bigs.

So yeah, Los Angeles sports teams definitely have a lot in common these days.  And that’s not a good thing.  At least the Angels aren’t alone.  Both the Dodgers and Lakers have taken the same path with little success – using Monopoly money to lure big name players that often don’t produce immediate success.  Maybe Billy Beane is on to something here?

This season presents new questions: Is manager Mike Scioscia on his way out? Will they dismiss Mike Butcher? Is Arte planning a fire sale in the near future? Fans are merely speculating when they attempt to answer these questions.  My only hope is that the Angels can turn this thing around before it’s too late.