Los Angeles Angels defeat Seattle Mariners, clinch playoff spot

When it comes to the Los Angeles Angels and their high-profile moves the last few seasons, it always came down to a simple question: what if?

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What if a team that already has the best player on the planet in Mike Trout gets enough support from the rest of the lineup to have an elite offense? What if the Angels could actually piece together a decent bullpen? What if they got enough from their starting rotation over the course of the long season?

There is still a long ways to go, of course, but it appears that many of those questions have been answered in 2014; the Angels have been completely dominant as they look poised to run away with an American League West title.

On Monday night, the Angels became the first team in Major League Baseball this season to lock up a spot in the postseason. With their 8-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners, the Angels pushed their record to an incredible 94-56 mark and clinched their spot in the playoffs. Pending a meltdown, that appearance in the 2014 ALDS will be as division champions.

There was a little bit of bad news for the Angels on Monday, as slugger Albert Pujols was forced to exit this game with a hamstring issue. The Angels will hope for that to be a minor issue as they look ahead to a postseason situation where they will be the clear favorites in the American League.

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