The Lead Off:
The L.A. Angels of Anaheim want to keep their junk in house; however, when the junk is as saucy as a nice marinara over a pile of spaghetti, it must be reported.Ken Rosenthal tweeted via two sources that Angels GM Jerry Dipoto packed up his office and left today… Also via Ken Rosenthal was that Dipoto acted out of emotion. Possible that he is resigning. Nothing Confirmed.
What kind of disarray is going on in Anaheim? It is the clash of the titans in the Angels organization. Dipoto apparently has been giving 
manager Mike Scioscia numbers to give the players so that the team could gain an advantage on game preparation. Scioscia has ignored the numbers from Dipoto to the point of not giving the numbers to the players. Dipoto has been meeting with the team without Scioscia being involved and giving out the game reports. 
Dipoto, 47, was a former major league reliever and served in the front office for the Red Sox, Rockies, and Diamondbacks. Dipoto’s contract was renewed as of 2011 and he signed the outrageous contracts of both Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton.
Scioscia wants to run his team his way, Dipoto wants to give the advantage to the players. Scioscia disagrees; therefore, the tenured manager who has led this franchise to a World Series will not be removed; however, Dipoto will.
I don’t think it’s a numbers game with Dipoto and Scioscia, I think it’s the fact that the Angels just are not as good as the dollars report. The contracts of Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton did not produce the wins that was expected. Pujols; however, is having a great year for the Angels while Hamilton is collecting the Angels money and playing for the division rival Texas Rangers. Dipoto, although, has not officially been removed, will suffer the consequences of the unproductive results on the field.
The A.L. Team of the Week: Houston Astros 
Just when I think that the Astros are starting to lose momentum in the A.L. West they rattle off four to five straight wins in a row to maintain a five game lead currently over the Angels and Rangers. What is the key to the Astros sustaining the lead in the A.L. West? The starting five for the Astros. Kuechal for the Astros struck out 7 Royals earning his tenth win of the season. With the All-Star break approaching can the Astros sustain this pace? As long as the starting five for the Astros continues to produce at a torrent pace producing quality starts, the young Astro line up will put runs on the board and provide wins leading to a title.
A.L. West Standings: 
Houston 46-34 .575 —
LA Angels 41-37 .526 4.0
Texas 40-38 .513 5.0
Seattle 35-42 .455 9.5
Oakland 35-45 .438 11.0
Featured Image provided by Emily Ray
All Images in Article provided by Creative Common Images
Jason Goodson
Writer for AGSH covering the A.L. West, NFC East, and Texas High School Football. Host Friday Night Live on 99.9 KMOO. P.A. Announcer for all Sports at Mineola High School. Have you oiled your beard lately? Why Not? Grow A Beard!
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