Unhated Rivals Are Co-Favorites

They met twice in the final week of the 1995 season with a division title at stake, and their winner-take-all, one-game playoff determined the American League West champion last October.

Now the Angels and Seattle Mariners enter 1996 as co-favorites to win the West, and a rather inconsequential series between the teams has blossomed into a full-blown rivalry.

But California vs. Seattle has a ways to go before it matches New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, circa 1978; New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals, circa 1985, or even Angels vs. Kansas City Royals, circa 1984.

Those teams had a healthy dislike for each other, their meetings sometimes spiced with venomous words and bench-clearing brawls.

But a canvass of Mariner and Angel clubhouses in spring training revealed these foes downright . . . like each other.

“There’s a lot of classy guys over there,” Seattle right fielder Jay Buhner said of the Angels. “I wouldn’t say I dislike any of them.”

Countered Angel right fielder Tim Salmon: “There hasn’t been any bad blood, and I’m glad, because there’s too many good players on both teams. No one wants to win because you took a big guy out of their lineup.”

The closest they come to providing bulletin-board fodder are quotes from the managers, but Seattle’s Lou Piniella may incite his Mariners, and California’s Marcel Lachemann might stir things up in his own clubhouse.

Piniella: “The Angels are the favorites.”

Lachemann: “The Mariners are the team to beat.”

Is that some serious smack, or what?

Until Seattle ace Randy Johnson sparks a scuffle by zipping a fastball by an Angel batter’s helmet, or Angel pitcher Shawn Boskie body-slams Mariner reliever Norm Charlton, or players start popping off in the papers, fans will have to make do with a fairly tame, Miss Manners-endorsed rivalry.

But that shouldn’t make it any less interesting. The Angels and Mariners possess two of baseball’s most potent lineups, Seattle has a marquee center fielder who is considered the game’s best all-around player, the Angels have one of the game’s best outfield trios, the Mariners have the league’s most dominant pitcher, and the Angels have its hardest-throwing reliever.

There’s also some history between the teams, a brief but eventful chronology that dates back to last Aug. 3, when the Mariners began a late-season surge, erasing the Angels’ 13-game lead and moving into first place by three games the last week of the season.

Then the Angels staged a rousing comeback, winning their last five games to force a one-game playoff for the division title, won by Johnson and the Mariners, 9-1.

“There will be a lot more intensity when we play because of what transpired at the end of last season,” Buhner said. “That’s what makes it exciting.”

Who will win?

Got a coin?

The case for Seattle: The Mariners lost 207 RBIs from their ’95 lineup with the departure of first baseman Tino Martinez and third baseman Mike Blowers, but this infield has the potential to be stronger with longtime Yankee prospect Russ Davis at third, power-hitting Paul Sorrento at first and 20-year-old rookie Alex Rodriguez, the No. 1 pick in the 1993 draft, replacing Luis Sojo at shortstop.

The middle of the Mariner lineup, Ken Griffey, Edgar Martinez and Buhner, may be the most explosive in baseball, and having Griffey for an entire season--he sat out 73 games because of a wrist injury in ‘95--should have a huge impact.

Seattle has what Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina calls “the X factor,” the 6-foot-10 Johnson, a left-hander who went 18-2 with 294 strikeouts in ’95. The rotation is questionable beyond Johnson--Chris Bosio will open on the disabled list because of a knee injury, and two virtual unknowns acquired from Toronto, Edwin Hurtado and Paul Menhart, will fill the fourth and fifth spots.

But if you saw 22-year-old Bob Wolcott shut down Cleveland in the AL championship series, it’s obvious he’s loaded with potential, and Sterling Hitchcock, a durable lefty acquired from the Yankees in the Martinez deal, is as good as most No. 4 starters.

Piniella has the utmost confidence in Charlton, the left-handed closer who converted 14 of 15 save opportunities after joining the Mariners last July. But the two top setup men from ‘95, Jeff Nelson and Bill Risley, were traded, those roles filled by oft-injured Mike Jackson and inconsistent Bobby Ayala.

The case for the Angels: They don’t have a starting pitcher of Johnson’s caliber, but in Chuck Finley, Mark Langston and Jim Abbott, they have three quality left-handers who provide depth and experience.

Like the Mariners, the Angels have a key pitcher, Steve Ontiveros, who will open on the disabled list, his fragile right elbow causing another setback this spring. Boskie has the potential to be a .500 pitcher, but current fifth starter Scott Sanderson hasn’t been effective beyond June in years.

But if Ontiveros comes back strong . . . “He can be really nasty,” Buhner said.

The Angels also have bullpen questions. Closer Lee Smith is trying to find his groove after recovering from off-season knee surgery, and Bryan Harvey and his reconstructed elbow open on the disabled list.

Troy Percival and his 95-mph fastball are back in full force, but the Angels don’t have a proven left-handed setup man, and the bullpen thins out considerably beyond Mike James.

But an offense that ranked second in the major leagues in runs with 801 last season could offset Angel pitching woes. Salmon, center fielder Jim Edmonds and left fielder Garret Anderson combined to hit .312 with 83 homers and 281 RBIs in ‘95, and DiSarcina and Snow had breakthrough years.

Defense should be a strength with the Gold Glove-winning Snow, the highly reliable DiSarcina, the sometimes spectacular Edmonds, and the dependable Salmon. But Jorge Fabregas is an average catcher, and rookie third baseman George Arias, who made several outstanding plays this spring, must show he can make the jump from double A to the big leagues.

And then there’s this persistent question: Can the Angels recover from their 1995 collapse?

“One thing we learned from last season is that you don’t win the division in April, May or June,” Charlton said. “You can put yourself in decent position to win, but it’s not over.

“It helps us knowing we can come from behind, but it will help the Angels too, because as much as we remember coming from behind, I’ll bet they remember even more. That should help them kick it into gear down the stretch.”

So, who will win the division? Both offenses are comparable, so it will probably come down to pitching and defense, and the Angels may have a slight edge in those departments.

“But the difference will be who can stay away from major injuries, and who can avoid the long losing streaks,” said DiSarcina, whose thumb injury and ensuing absence last season coincided with the Angel collapse.

Good points, both impossible to predict--that’s why it’s so difficult to pick between the Angels and Mariners. But if 1996 is anything near as wacky as 1995, don’t be surprised if something completely unexpected happens . . .

So how ‘bout those Texas Rangers?

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Projected Roster

Pitchers:

Jim Abbott

Shawn Boskie

Mark Eichhorn

Chuck Finley

Mark Holzemer

Mike James

Mark Langston

Troy Percival

Lee Smith

Dennis Springer

*

Catchers:

Jorge Fabregas

Don Slaught

Chris Turner

*

Infielders:

George Arias

Gary DiSarcina

Damion Easley

Rex Hudler

J.T. Snow

Randy Velarde

Tim Wallach

*

Outfielders:

Mike Aldrete

Garret Anderson

Chili Davis

Jim Edmonds

Tim Salmon

Probable Batting Order

1. Randy Velarde, 2B

2. Jim Edmonds, CF

3. Tim Salmon, RF

4. Chili Davis, DH

5. J.T. Snow, 1B

6. Garret Anderson, LF

7. George Arias, 3B

8. Jorge Fabregas, C

9. Gary DiSarcina, SS