With baseball's biggest division lead and facing a road trip aginst sub-.500 teams next week, Vlad Guerrero's tricep tenderness could not have come at a more opportune time for the Angels.
Everyone at this point of the season needs a little rest, and a few days off for any overworked player now will only serve as a tonic. Vlad's critical role in the Angel lineup is the difference maker for this team and one they will have to rely on to go any distance in October. The sky is blue and water is wet if that previous sentence did not underscore one of the most obvious facts on Earth. A rested Vlad, though, could easily be the impact bat of the post-season.
Take it easy Vlad, we have good pitchers - in fact with Bartolo Colon's imminent return, we have a 6-man rotation - and a hot Garret Anderson is assisting the lineup's need for mmmph. Add to all this our crowded, deep outfield and infield and not the toughest stretch of games coming up and get a good rest while you nurse back that tender tricep.
0 recs | 20 comments
and rest thy knees also
as long as the tricep thing isn't seriousMoondoggy - September 7, 2007
I wouldn't call it a blessing....
...but the timing is certainly fortuitous, the good guys do have a 99.67% chance of making the post season!http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/ps_odds.php
Jack Kerouac - September 7, 2007
You mean Bartolo's imminent return to suckiness?
PieceOfAase - September 7, 2007
Big Bad Vlad
This is certainly a good time to sort out our outfielder overload, but I'm not sure how long this type of injury takes to fully heal.At least it's not in his legs, those injuries are bad news.
elricsi - September 7, 2007
Bart's return
is not a good thing imo. He can't get out of the 6th in AAA.hauldog - September 7, 2007
i have a feeling
Bart's gonna make some of you eat some crow. a lot of you have been on a crow diet all season anyway so what's a little more right?SCHalo - September 7, 2007
i will gladly eat it
but my first pre-Vegas wager would be that he won't be able to get it done.yeswecan - September 7, 2007
OBVIOUSLY
the odds are not good on my "feeling." i'm just basing this inclination on hm basically being on the shelf all year in denial of an injury. even when he said he was fine everyone could tell he wasn't. no he's had some rehab sessions and the reports are souinding good. it helps to have a vet for the post season run. i hope he comes through cuz that would be a big time bonus.SCHalo - September 7, 2007
Colon's rehab/bullpen sessions
are ALWAYS good. Scioscia, Black, Butcher, Stoneman all used to come back and say "Bart had a great bullpen session, especially his last pitches!"Too bad that doesn't translate into gametime.
shiftyeyedgoat - September 7, 2007
Scioscia generic quote
"The ball was coming out of his hand good"hauldog - September 7, 2007
"Bart's a competitor"
"Right now, I think Bart has the ability to bring his stuff, which includes a confident approach. We're going to look at a couple of things and make some decisions as we move forward."melvintoast - September 7, 2007
"If he can command his pitches ...
the way we know he can, he's another piece closer to making us a championship-caliber ballclub."highlandhalo - September 7, 2007
I hope he is good
But their is not any room for him the postseason 4 man rotation. I do not want his availablity muddying the waters either.hauldog - September 7, 2007
pushed to bullpen mop-up maybe?
I could see him pulling an Escobar circa 2005.shiftyeyedgoat - September 7, 2007
Pulling an Escobar
I'd love to see him do that. That kicked my respect for Kelvim up higher than it had been before.Will Bart be man enough to do it, though?
red floyd - September 7, 2007
A few ABs for Juan?
With Vlad missing, perhaps this is an opportunity to give Juan some much needed ABs. Angels need to determine if he's worth having on the 25-man roster if the Angels do indeed actually make the playoffs. He's looked awful so far, but he needs to be given a chance. Perhaps he gets the start in right field tonight.Fan Since 1981 - September 7, 2007
Fatolo...
Bart is done. All of our starters (El Magic, excluded) have been pretty solid as of late. Do we really need Bart back?I'm thinking, no.
sipperphoto - September 7, 2007
Two Points
1) Keep Bart as far away from the starting rotation as possible. At this point I feel much more confident with a relatively inexperienced Saunders starting in the playoffs than I would with Bart. Agree with post above, HE'S DONE.Scioscia's loyalty to vets could really hurt us here.
2) Rev. is correct about Vlad's injury being a blessing in disguise (so long as it is only minor -- sounds like it is). In fact, I was thinking about writing a diary on the subject of how injuries at the right time sometimes can help a team. I also think Figgy's injury and Napoli's can be similarly helpful.
The baseball season is a long grind, and when you add in the playoffs it is tremendously long. I think the mental exhaustion is even bigger than the physical part. For this reason, position players definitely do benefit from a few weeks away from the field. Look for Figgy, Nappy and Vlad to be mentally fresh and focused when they each return.
Jack Frost - September 7, 2007
I would add that .....
clinching relatively early gives us the benefit of resting GA and Cabrera and Matthews for a few games down the stretch. I think Cabrera especially (I think he's only missed a few games all year) could benefit from this.Kendrick, Kotch, and others have recently had significant time off so they shouldn't be as likely to suffer from mental exhaustion.
Jack Frost - September 7, 2007
The only problem is ...
guys like Cabrera don't like to come out of the lineup. He sulks if Scioscia rests him.highlandhalo - September 7, 2007
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Halos Heaven to post a comment.