Notes From the Clubhouse: Angels Look for Answers Within

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

From afar, everything appears to be business as usual in Orange County. As of Thursday evening, only two teams in the majors have more wins than the Angels -- the Red Sox and Cubs, and only Chicago has a better winning percentage than Mike Scioscia's bunch.

Look closer, though, and the problems are readily apparent. The Halos have outscored their opponents by a mere 19 runs this season. Going by Bill James' formula for expected wins, the Angels should be 41-38, not 48-31. Oakland, which trailed Los Angeles by 4 1/2 games in the standings on Thursday night, has outscored its opponents by 67 runs.

While the Angels won't be forced to give back their wins by some crazed sabermetrician, their luck is likely to get worse over the remainder of the season, while the A's should get better. That could make things very tight in the AL West coming down the stretch.

Getting consistent production from the lineup has been a real problem for the Angels. L.A. is averaging 4.3 runs per game this season, well below the American League average of 4.6 runs per game. For the Angels' part, they're well aware of the offensive problems they have.

"There are some challenges we have that are very real and right in front of us, particularly when you talk about the offensive side and getting continuity," said Scioscia before Tuesday night's game in Washington.

But Scioscia has recently seen some improvement. "We feel a lot of guys in the lineup are making strides," said the manager. Since the beginning of their series with the Mets on June 16, Los Angeles has averaged more than five runs a game. Realistically, though, the Angels' offensive problems run deeper than 2008. They've made the playoffs in three of the last five seasons, but only progressed out of the first round one time, and they haven't been back to the World Series since winning in 2002.

For all the Halos' regular season success, for all the praised heaped upon their speedy, aggressive style of play, Los Angeles has sorely missed a power hitter in October. They've averaged 3.25 runs per game in the postseason since 2004, and while they've scored with regularity lately, they still don't have the right complement to Vladimir Guerrero.

"There are some things we need to find as the season goes on," said Scioscia. Yet, he still thinks the solution lies within the organization. "We're confident that the offensive team in our clubhouse is going to be deep and going to do what it needs to do."

Scioscia might say that and the Angels might get better over the second half of the season and cruise to the AL West title, but they probably won't go very far in the playoffs without another power bat in the lineup. Looking within for the right solution is all well and good, but a slugger like Mark Teixeira would do wonders for Los Angeles' chances.