The Los Angeles Angels’ playoff hopes have taken a hit as they have now lost three games in a row, the latest to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.

The Angels have fallen to 56-54 on the season and now find themselves 7.5 behind the Texas Rangers for the American League West Division. 

More importantly, the Angels are now 4.0 games behind the last American League Wild-Card team, currently held by the Toronto Blue Jays.

During this losing streak, the Angels have lost to the Atlanta Braves twice and the Mariners in the series opener on Thursday. 

Their offense has dried up during this stretch, seeing that they have scored a total of just 9 runs, an average of 3 runs per game. 

In comparison, they have allowed a total of 22 runs, an average of 7.33 runs per game.

The Angels still have 52 games remaining in the regular season, but at the rate their season is going, they are not likely to be in the playoff conversation for much longer. 

Of course, it is great they have Shohei Ohtani, the best player in baseball, but their lack of quality pitching options looks as if it might doom them sooner rather than later.

The Los Angeles Angels are listed at +6600 to win the World Series, +3300 for both the American League and the AL West Division, and +675 to make the playoffs. 

Brewers retake the Central

The National League Central has become quite the battle and it is fair to say that this could go down to the final week or even day. 

For the moment, the Milwaukee Brewers are back in first place, though only by 0.5 games over the Cincinnati Reds. 

The Brewers made a statement on Thursday night, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 14-1. 

Meanwhile, the Reds lost their third game in a row to the Chicago Cubs.

The Brewers have started the month of August with two wins in their first three games. 

Their offense has started to come to life, averaging 7.33 runs per game, spearheaded by the previously mentioned 14-run output on Thursday. 

More importantly, their pitching has been solid to start the month of August, allowing a total of 7 runs, an average of 2.33 runs allowed per game. 

The Brewers are +3000 to win the World Series, +1500 for National League success, +130 to take the NL Central, and -225 to make the playoffs.

Lacking Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians are a team that has perhaps failed to impress all season long. 

However, a recent three-game losing streak sees them just 2.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central Division. 

Following that recent slump, the Guardians are now 53-56. 

During this stretch, all of their losses came against the Houston Astros, the most recent being a 3-2 loss on Wednesday. 

Their offense was terrible in the series against the Astros, scoring a total of 5 runs over the course of those 3 games, an average of 1.67 runs per game. 

It should also be noted that the Guardians were no-hit in the game on Tuesday, further showing their offensive struggles. 

Their pitching has not been great, but has not been terrible either. They allowed a total of 12 runs to the Astros over the 3 games, an average of 4 runs per game. 

However, when the offense does not provide run support, it likely does not matter what the pitching does. 

Offense is the area where the Guardians need to be more consistent, otherwise the Twins are looking like they might run away with the AL Central division.

The Cleveland Guardians are listed at +6000 to win the World Series, +3000 for the American League, +275 for AL Central glory, and +265 to make the playoffs.