One big question for every AL West team

The American League West in 2021 has mostly been Houston and Oakland battling it out for the top spot in the division, but no team is perfect.

The Astros are the only team with a positive run differential (+62) and pitching is a must for multiple teams within the division. There’s a lot to address for all five clubs before the All-Star break.

Here’s one looming question for each AL West team:

Angels: Do they have enough pitching?

Pitching has been an issue for the Angels for many years and 2021 is no different. The Halos entered Thursday with a 5.22 ERA that ranked as the worst mark in the Majors, as their starters have posted a 5.43 ERA that ranks last in baseball and their relievers have a 5.00 ERA that ranks as the fifth-worst mark in the game. The team has scuffled as a result despite incredible seasons from two-way star Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and Jared Walsh. But there is some reason to believe the staff will improve, as they've been hurt by a league-worst .321 batting average on balls in play and they rank third in the Majors in strikeouts per nine innings (10.35) behind the Padres and Brewers. Their strikeout percentage to walk percentage (K-BB%) is also a much more respectable 13th in the Majors at 15.7%. But it’ll be up to the pitchers to turn it around and if they don’t, the Angels could find themselves out of the postseason for the seventh straight season. -- Rhett Bollinger

Astros: Can they iron out their bullpen?

After losing Roberto Osuna, Chris Devenski and Brad Peacock when their contracts expired after the 2020 season, the Astros bolstered their bullpen by signing Pedro Báez to a two-year deal and Ryne Stanek to a one-year deal. With veteran Joe Smith coming back after opting out and youngsters like Enoli Paredes, Blake Taylor and Andre Scrubb having gotten their feet wet last year and showing promise, the Astros believed they had a solid bullpen. Injuries to Báez (shoulder), Paredes (oblique), Taylor (ankle) and Scrubb (shoulder) and a woeful start by Smith have tested Houston’s depth. Stanek pitched well early, but has faltered lately in a high-leverage role. The only sure thing at this point is closer Ryan Pressly, who’s regained his 2019 All-Star form. The Astros are hoping Smith gets things ironed out and Stanek overcomes his slump. Paredes and Scrubb are healthy, but have had growing pains. They also hope to get Báez back by the All-Star break, which would be like a midseason addition. Plus, injured veterans Josh James and Austin Pruitt could still heal in time to help the club at some point this year, but the Astros need to find a way to get consistent outs from the bullpen. -- Brian McTaggart

Athletics: Can they find ways to win without the long ball?

It’s no secret that the A’s are at their best when they’re hitting bombs, as they enter Thursday tied for the third-most homers (56) in the American League. The long ball has been part of Oakland’s DNA for a few years now. But while a heavy reliance on home runs isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the top-tier clubs find a way to win games in other ways when the homers aren’t there -- something the A’s have struggled with. Entering Thursday tied for most wins (26) in the AL, the A’s were just 3-9 in games they’ve gone without a homer. They’re a juggernaut when the power is clicking with a record of 21-3 in games where they out-homer opposing teams, but just 3-13 when they are out-homered themselves. Especially if the A’s want to make a deep run in the postseason like they envision, the offense will need to improve its situational hitting by expanding the ways in which they produce those big hits in big moments. -- Martín Gallegos

Mariners: Will they be able to effectively spread out their innings?

With Marco Gonzales still at least a few weeks away and three other starters -- James Paxton, Nick Margevicius and Ljay Newsome -- quite possibly lost for the season, the Mariners have a mountain of innings to account for, and fewer and fewer arms to help spread them around.

Logan Gilbert was a welcomed reinforcement when he was called up last week and made his much-anticipated MLB debut alongside Jarred Kelenic. But the Mariners have publicly said that they’re earmarking just 110-120 innings for MLB Pipeline’s No. 27 overall prospect, and even that could be lofty given that he’s ramping back up after not pitching in competitive games in 2020. Gilbert was on a five-inning, 80-85-pitch threshold for his debut and he wound up going just four frames due to his 71 pitches at that point.

The Mariners have turned Gonzales’ spot in the rotation into a bullpen day, which has had some pretty significant reverberating effects -- even with Seattle wins in those games -- such as many of those arms being down the following day. Gonzales is throwing off a mound again, but he’s still a few weeks away, and if the Mariners’ No. 1 starter has any setbacks, or worse, they’d be in a pretty glaring hole with their staff heading into the summer months. -- Daniel Kramer

Rangers: Can they do the little things well? Can the offense reach its full potential?

Manager Chris Woodward has harped on it all season and it’s proven to be true as the Rangers now sit seven games below .500. Texas is far from pure contention, but almost every loss has come at four runs or less. It’s been competitive, which is something that could not be said in 2020. The Rangers have especially struggled to put a strong pitching performance together with a strong offensive performance and vice versa. On paper, this team is much better than its record (19-26) might reflect. But a pitch here, an at-bat there would change the entire landscape of the season for Texas. The Rangers are 4-7 in one-run games and 5-5 in two-run games. The Rangers offense is in the middle of the pack in most offensive categories (No. 14 in average, tied for No. 20 in OPS), but it often struggles with stringing hits together and getting runs across. There have been bright spots, with the emergence of players like Nate Lowe, Nick Solak and Adolis Garcia, but if the Rangers want to be buyers instead of sellers at the Trade Deadline, it will take a sum of events. -- Kennedi Landry