Seattle's Main Advantage -- Health

by mattwelch on Aug 26, 2007 8:42 PM PDT

Interesting tidbit in today's Bill Shaikin column:

None -- repeat, none -- of the Seattle position players has been put on the disabled list this season.

Do you know how many games the Angels have had this year with Napoli, Kotchman, Kendrick and Figgins in the starting lineup? 13 (they've won 8).

Never has an Angel team had this many injuries and not fallen out of contention. Think of it this way -- while Oakland is writing off the season due to the bad luck of injuries, the Angels have had only three regulars avoid missing time due to injury, and NO ONE even HINTED at using injuries as an excuse not to win the division and go deep in the playoffs.

Poll

If we'da been as healthy as Seattle

110 wins

22 votes

100

31 votes

90

6 votes

59 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Maybe Mariners get tweaked in September

and we get healthy!

by Rev Halofan on Aug 26, 2007 5:12 PM PDT reply actions

A team can't be charmed for this long without

running into a wall!

by melvintoast on Aug 26, 2007 5:33 PM PDT up reply actions

I've been mentioning that

in a few other places on the net, and to a few friends, but haven't made much of it. I knew we had injury problems (obviously), and I knew Seattle was fairly healthy, but I had no idea they had that kind of health.

http://kotchatthebat.livejournal.com/

by Caseys Kiss of Death on Aug 26, 2007 5:21 PM PDT reply actions

They have 9 players w/ 391 at bats

We have 3.

by mattwelch on Aug 26, 2007 5:40 PM PDT reply actions

Washburn just gave up a 2 run HR to Sosa

Good start to today's game.

Willits for ROY

by 101halo on Aug 26, 2007 5:55 PM PDT reply actions

good info...

i can't ever remember a team that made it through the season without any injuries to their starting line-up and they've had some injuries to their rotation but nothing major.

by thejd on Aug 26, 2007 5:59 PM PDT reply actions

Bingo!

been trying to explain that to people since the M's started making it a race.

by SCHalo on Aug 26, 2007 6:07 PM PDT reply actions

An important thing to remember

Is that this fact suggests we'll be better (once players return), while they have no injury-related upside.

by mattwelch on Aug 26, 2007 6:12 PM PDT reply actions

You're like infinity right or maybe infinity

squared right. How do we keep Mighty Mouse, lives in a batting cage guy, Kowbell, HK, GA, Monoman and Figgy all in the line-up at that same time when they're healthy? Plus what happens when Johnny Rivers shows up?

You can say what you want about trading for a bat but without this depth we wouldn't be in the conversation.

by melvintoast on Aug 26, 2007 6:20 PM PDT up reply actions

right, the key to our success has been...

the committment to our organizational depth and pitching staff. having vlad doesn't hurt.

by thejd on Aug 26, 2007 6:48 PM PDT reply actions

Our main advantage is

we are the Angels and they are not. Go Angels!

by 44FAN on Aug 26, 2007 7:25 PM PDT reply actions

Sweet.

by melvintoast on Aug 26, 2007 8:23 PM PDT up reply actions

2 game lead!

Get rid of Quinlan

by edhoo on Aug 26, 2007 8:08 PM PDT reply actions

Contrary to Tina Turner's assertion,

"We DO need another hero.
We DO need to know the way home."

Healthy M's lineup has been on a tear with regards to 10+ hits a game. With 1/3 of the Angels lineup missing (and Rivera having missed the season) some of the other guys are really going to have to step up and come through.

Ain't no stoppin' us now. We got the groove!

by Fan Since 1981 on Aug 26, 2007 8:30 PM PDT reply actions

Actually about 3 - 4 weeks ago I went

thru the DL history on mlb.com. Since I live just north of Seattle and have to constantly put up with M's crap from my friends I have been all over this. The best the M's fans can come up with is how long they missed Felix. Good grief! The M's have lost a couple of pitchers. No starters or front-liners!

As the race has gotten closer the amount of flak and text messages etc have increased. I hate to use injuries as an excuse, but geez, the M's have had NONE! It has been really good for the franchise. The fans here have continued to support a crappy team the last few years.

Bottom line...the M's have been blessed and lucky! Good for them, good for the city!

Time for the cream to rise to the top. Go Halos!

Stop swinging at balls out of the zone!

by K3YEROUT on Aug 26, 2007 8:44 PM PDT reply actions

seattle

its a battle
mariners sin
angels win

by blaqhalo on Aug 26, 2007 9:16 PM PDT reply actions

Easy answer to this dilemma

Angels pitch inside.

Hoping Ervin Santana turns it around in Salt Lake. Go, Ervin!

by scareduck on Aug 26, 2007 11:03 PM PDT reply actions

I have

a cousin that lives in Issaquah (suburb of Seattle) that's a higher-up for Fidelity - they have the corporate box seats thing going on and my cousin is involved with the Fidelity community outreach thing they have with the Mariners ... my cousin hit a HR off Jamie Moyer a few years back in a fundraising deal they had ...

Anyways, we've been ragging on each other via email the past couple of weeks ... and the general consensus from up there is that people are just beyond themselves that they're this far into the season and still in the race. They just can't believe it. They're expecting the bottom to fall out at any moment. They're having some "Wear blue to the office" day tomorrow to psych everyone up for the 3 games against us.

I think the fans know what's coming and they're just not meant to last. This is their peaking time and they're going to start the slow descent back to the back of the race.

With win-win-win, we all win!

by lightupthehalo on Aug 26, 2007 11:20 PM PDT reply actions

Mariners fan blog "LookoutLanding"

Folks on this blog are saying the upcoming series with the Angels has gotten in the Mariner's head and that is why they played poorly and lost to Texas today. Ha, ha I hope so.

by 44FAN on Aug 26, 2007 11:47 PM PDT reply actions

I just projected out the rest of the season

for both Angels and the M's, with what pitchers they'll be throwing out (no time to project the pitchers for the opponents, though).

My best guess has us finishing 94/68, 4 games up on Seattle who finishes 90/72. Our smallest lead after this upcoming series will be 2.5 games on September 11th (go figure).

Willits for ROY

by 101halo on Aug 27, 2007 12:20 AM PDT reply actions

I'd be curious to see this

One other thing about the injury situation that strikes me as an issue is that Casey Kotchman will likely not have time for a rehab stint, which means he'll be in the position of trying to learn how to hit for a week or so in the majors with his timing a little out of whack. The same may be true for Napoli, which is to say that getting the guys back the Angels have been missing may be a wash.

Hoping Ervin Santana turns it around in Salt Lake. Go, Ervin!

by scareduck on Aug 27, 2007 10:01 AM PDT up reply actions

It's just the nature of the franchise

Seattle has front office full of idiots and a manager that's not too bright, but the one thing Seattle has (and has had for years) is a spectacular training staff. It's not a coincidence that they stay healthier than other ballclubs.

Seriously, look at Edgar. His legs were shot by the mid-90's and they got how many good years out of him? It's also the reason they picked up Vidro -- they believed they were good enough to get his legs healthy again.

by oneiric232 on Aug 27, 2007 11:06 AM PDT reply actions