<p>LAS VEGAS β At the halfway point of the major-league season, the great race is in the basement. A poor start by the White Sox made me bolt to the MGM to ignite my first phone app.</p><p>The Sox awoke, however, and that app let me remove that investment and place it on the Angels at +350 (or risk $100 to win $350).</p><p>In the preseason, I had pondered 17-1 on the Angels occupying the cellar because listless owner Arte Moreno had given former catcher Kurt Suzuki his first shot at managing β at any level.</p><p>A string of defeats, however, persuaded me to buy the Angels, and outfielder Mike Trout (right hamstring) has returned to the infirmary.</p><p>Entering play Friday, the Angels had 48 losses. The Rockies (49), the Royals (also 48) and the Giants, Tigers and Mets (all with 47) round out that futility battle.</p><p>When I escaped that Sox bet, I also grabbed +600 odds, at BetMGM, on Japanese southpaw slugger Munetaka Murakami to win American League Rookie of the Year.</p><p>A hamstring tweak has sidelined him, but the surprising Sox remain in the AL Central hunt.