by FOXSports.com

Updated: June 30, 2008, 1:11 PM EST Comment

add this RSS blog email Print

First up is a battle of the two teams vying for the American League West crown, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Oakland A's. The Angels lead their division because they are just flat out good. They have a group of veterans that seem to be able to play through any situation, and it shows from overcoming injuries to having the best road record in Major League Baseball.

The A's have their work cut out for them trying to keep up. So far, they have managed to stay in the hunt and have posted similar statistics as the Angels in both batting and pitching. Where they have struggled is in facing an unbelievable number of left handed pitchers. Good news for the A's, the Angels have just one lefty starter on staff, making this a top notch battle.

Closing out the week is the FOX Game of the Week as the St. Louis Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs in a battle for the NL Central. The NL Central is surprisingly the strongest division in the majors and the Cubs sport one of the best records in all of baseball heading into the All Star break. Outfielders Alfonso Soriano, Reed Johnson and Kosuke Fukudome are a potent threesome that supports one of the best hitting infields in the National League. The Cubs pitching staff more than holds its own with Carlos Zambrano leading the way.

For the Cards, Albert Pujols leads a team that can make a lot of noise at the plate making this an interesting battle to see which team can claim momentum in the race for the division title.