LA Angels vs. Texas Rangers: Three keys to a series win

The second key to an LA Angels series victory vs. the Rangers: Keep the outfield from going long

The LA Angels’ outfield loves the longball.

The issue is that the Rangers say the same. The LA Angels are tied for second in the American League with 31 home runs hit by their outfield. They’re tied with two teams in the AL West, the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.

Interestingly enough, the only team ahead of those squads is also in the AL West; the Oakland A’s. Their outfield has hit 35 bombs.

The rest of the Rangers lineup has only hit 27 home runs all season. That’s bad.

They’re not a powerful team if the Angels can take the outfield’s power out of the lineup. Even with the outfielders included, their slugging percentage is .385. That’s barely top 10 in the AL.

They will not hit for a lot of power when their outfield isn’t in it.

The Angels pitching staff has given up 1.49 jacks per nine innings this year, which is the third-most in the AL. That’s not acceptable, and Texas’ outfield will test the Angels.

The Angels’ staff needs to pass that test with a great grade if they want to get two wins in this important series.

They’ll need to keep runners close, and the offense better get their jobs done early in the ballgame.

The Angels could easily take two from this Rangers team. If they don’t follow this formula, however, it won’t be a successful series this time around.