west side story

Texas figures to be fighting – figuratively and maybe literally – for the American League West title the rest of the way. Mitch Moreland, the former Mississippi State slugger from Amory, is a key piece in the Rangers’ loaded lineup. The lefty-swinging first baseman is batting .250 with four homers and 16 RBIs for a first-place team that is 22-16. Several other Mississippians also figure to play important roles in how the West is won. For Seattle, currently second in the division standings at 21-16, Jackson native and Ole Miss alum Seth Smith is a platooning outfielder, starting mainly against right-handers. Smith is hitting .247 with four homers and 14 RBIs. In Oakland, currently running fourth at 16-22, the A’s are hoping for better stuff from ex-Rebels star Chris Coghlan and former Bulldogs ace Kendall Graveman. Coghlan, playing a utility-type role, hit his fifth home run in a win on Sunday but is batting just .174. Graveman is 1-5 with a 5.84 ERA over seven starts. He has been burned by 10 home runs. Tony Sipp, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product from Pascagoula, has a 3.77 ERA in 17 relief appearances for Houston, which has had a rough start (15-24) on the heels of last year’s postseason run. The Astros are going to get better, and the AL West will likely get wilder.