Battle L.A.: Dodgers or Angels Bigger Disappointment?

2013 has not been kind to Los Angeles sports teams. No, not one bit. The Lakers failures this season were well-chronicled and even the Clippers took a disappointing first round exit in the playoffs. Now the future of the team is uncertain with Chris Paul potentially departing. In the college ranks, UCLA capped a less-than-stellar season by losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and then firing coach Ben Howland. And now, maybe worst of them all, the Dodgers and Angels are struggling mightily as the MLB season nears the 50-game mark. Thank God for the Los Angeles Kings. That's all L.A. has going for them right now.

They say money can't buy happiness, but that doesn't mean it can't buy a few championships. Just ask the Yankees. However, that's not the case for the Dodgers and Angels. Both clubs haven't been shy about spending big and several superstars have made the trek west. For the Angels, the signings of Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson and Josh Hamilton has translated over to a 20-27 record this season. The Dodgers are 19-26 despite signing Zack Grienke and Hyun-Jin Ryu and having the services of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford for the entire season.

So what's the problem? Let's start with the Angels. Don't point the finger at Mike Trout because the young phenom has been nothing short of superhuman. Last year's AL Rookie of the Year is batting .302 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI. All of those home runs have come in the month of May and Trout leads the team in batting average, RBI, on-base percentage and hits, slugging percentage and stolen bases. No, Mike Trout is not the problem at all.

Pujols, while his average is low for his standards, isn't playing poorly. His .253 batting average is uncharacteristically low, but he does have eight home runs and 29 RBI. He's also batting .317 in his last 10 games and it appears he might be turning it around. Hamilton is a different story. The big summer signing is batting just .220 with six home runs and 16 RBI. He has struck out 53 times already and even his on-base percentage is low at .279. Hamilton is not even reaching base, however he does have a hit in eight of his last 10 games.

As a team, the Angels are middle of the pack in nearly every statistical category offensively and the pitching staff isn't any better. The staff ERA of 4.57 ranks 12th in the American League and, even worse, they rank 10th in strikeouts yet third in walks. It would appear that the pitching has held this team back from reaching expectations. Offense can only cover up so much.

For the Dodgers it's a similar issue. L.A. is in the top five of the National League in batting average and on-base percentage while ranking 14th and third in strikeouts and walks, respectively. As a whole, the Dodger offense has been producing. However, that doesn't mean their biggest stars have carried the load.

Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier are off to rough starts and Kemp has struck out 17 more times than the next closest teammate, who happens to be Ethier. Together the two combine for just six home runs and 32 RBI while both batting below .270. Gonzalez, usually a home run threat, has hit just four, but he does have a .309 batting average with 30 RBI. Crawford has also produced after the debacle that was his brief career in Boston. He is batting .302 with team-highs in home runs (5) and stolen bases (9).

On the pitching staff, Clayton Kershaw and Ryu have been magnificent, but the others on staff have been less than impressive. Both Kershaw and Ryu are 5-2. Kershaw's ERA is a league-low 1.35 and Ryu's is a respectable 3.30. After that things get hazy. Josh Beckett is currently on the disabled list and he couldn't be the ace of staff on the Bad News Bears. His 0-5 record and 5.19 ERA is a far cry from the guy we've seen lead teams to World Series victories. Outside of Kershaw and Ryu the Dodgers pitchers are a combined 9-19. The return of Grienke can't come soon enough.

Both clubs are missing pitching and their offense can only cover up so much. The stars also must perform to the level they are expected to. A lot of money has been spent in SoCal, but that hasn't meant wins. If the Dodgers are to compete for the playoffs they need Kemp and Ethier to start producing more and they need a healthy Grienke. For the Angels, Hamilton must get going and the pitching staff has to pick it up.

If not, the two clubs will cap off a disastrous 2013 for the city of Los Angeles.