The Los Angeles Angels have won eight straight and their 9-1 record since the All-Star break is the best in the major leagues. Now 20 games over .500, they seem to be breaking away from the pack in the mediocre American League West.

The surprising Texas Rangers led the AL West for much of the first half, but they have fallen 4.5 games behind the Angels after dropping a 6-3 decision to the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. The loss halted a five-game winning streak, during which the Texas staff had allowed a total of just nine runs, yet the Rangers were unable to gain ground on the red-hot Angels with their surge.

Due to injuries, the Angels rotation was missing John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar to start the season, but as expected, Los Angeles has emerged as the best team in the division. The AL West race looks over, but there’s been a noteworthy development in Texas that could keep the Rangers in the thick of it.

After posting a 5.37 ERA and .288 OBA last season, the worst marks in the major leagues, Texas pitching has been markedly better in 2009. The staff ranks in the middle of the big league pack with a 4.22 ERA and .261 OBA this season. The improvement was substantial in May, when the Rangers went 20-9, and the hurlers have been at least as good in July after a rough patch last month.

Texas Pitching by Month, 2009

. . . . . . . . W-L. . . . . . .ERA. . . . . . OBA. . . . . .OSLG
April. . . . .10-11. . . . . . 5.70. . . . . . .287. . . . . . .479
May. . . . . 20-9. . . . . . .3.57. . . . . . .251. . . . . . .393
June. . . . 11-15. . . . . . 4.24. . . . . . .265. . . . . . .432
July . . . . 12-7 . . . . . . .3.57. . . . . . .240. . . . . . .373

Although the Rangers are just 5-3 since the All-Star break, their pitching staff ranks among the best with a 2.92 ERA and .226 OBA in this span of games. The club’s post-break performance includes four quality starts by the starters, two of which were pitched by ace Kevin Millwood and rookie Tommy Hunter in the Rangers’ three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox this past week.

Millwood bounced back Monday after a stretch of three rough starts to open July, but Hunter, recalled on June 28, has picked up the slack. He has allowed a total of four runs in four outings, though he’s just 2-1 in this stretch because of a lack of run support.

Scott Feldman worked the other two quality starts since the break, including eight shutout innings in a 2-0 win over the Royals on Friday. The 26-year-old southpaw has now worked six consecutive quality outings, a span in which he is 4-1 with a 2.79 ERA.

The bullpen has been terrific since the All-Star break, as well. It’s posted a 1.69 ERA and .154 OBA over 26.2 innings, and C.J. Wilson and rookie Doug Mathis have converted all four save chances. Wilson saved two of the victories over the Red Sox, and Mathis nailed down the middle game with 3.1 innings of one-hit ball in a 3-1 win. It was the rookie right-hander’s first major league save.

It may seem the Angels are on the verge of burying the Rangers. The Angels certainly have the talent to make them go away, but the Texas pitching staff has become an asset that just might keep the team in the AL West chase.

On the other hand, the Angels are a player in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, and the Rangers’ chances of sticking around could go out the window if Toronto’s ace moves to Anaheim.

Reportedly the Phillies have cooled on Halladay with the Blue Jays pushing to acquire both J.A. Happ and Kyle Drabek in a deal. Reports suggest the Yankees are just as hesitant as the Phils when the names of both Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes surface together in trade discussions.

It’s also unlikely the Angels will offer two premium pitching prospects to Toronto -- and that may kill any chance of a deal -- but they have dangled both Jered Weaver and infield prospect Brandon Wood, who is pounding Triple-A pitching for a second straight season and could take over at third if Scott Rolen is dealt.

In light of Toronto’s asking price, Halladay may not change addresses this week. That would be good news for Texas and a host of other middle-market teams that are looking to stay in contention down the stretch.

Wouldn’t it be something if the Rangers cashed in a couple of their promising young arms for Halladay? With or without Halladay, if the Rangers are able to stay close in the West, it’ll be the pitching staff that leads the way.