History Gives the Angels Hope

When the Angels’ team bus arrives at Dodger Stadium tonight, Manager Mike Scioscia ought to gather his players in the outfield, feed them some Dodger Dogs and introduce his old manager.

Tom Lasorda would take it from there, of course.

“Let me tell you one of my favorite stories,” Lasorda would shout, and he would go on and on about Scioscia and the rest of the players on his 1982 team.

“Nobody believed in us,” Lasorda would holler, but we made up 11 games in 13 days on the Atlanta Braves! We were 10 1/2 games out,” Lasorda would bellow, “and two weeks later we were in first place!”

The Angels won’t catch the Seattle Mariners on inspiration alone, but a history lesson wrapped in a motivational speech couldn’t hurt.

Tonight’s game marks the start of the fourth season of interleague play, a development so loudly condemned by purists you could be excused for thinking owners had proposed using Wiffle balls or purple bats.

No such controversy has surrounded this year’s change, a return to an unbalanced schedule. Whereas fans might embrace the geographic rivalries created by interleague baseball, players and managers embrace the rivalries restored by an increase in intra-division baseball.

Hope is restored too. The Angels trail Seattle by 17 games, but they have 12 games remaining against the Mariners.

“I still think you’re never too far ahead or too far behind because of the head-to-head competition,” Scioscia said. “Obviously, we have our work cut out for us. But, if you happen to catch a hot streak and play well when the other team is cold, you can gain a lot of ground quickly.”

The Mariners have won 14 consecutive games. They might never lose again, and in that case never mind.

But the Angels play 19 games in all against Seattle this season, up from 13 last season. Scioscia’s Dodgers used to play 18 games against each National League West rival, which afforded them the opportunity to beat the Braves eight consecutive times within 13 days in 1982.

“With the new schedule, I don’t think anyone in June can say they’re totally buried, or say they’re so comfortably in front that they can phone it in,” Scioscia said.

“I’m not downplaying it--17 games is a challenge. But the opportunity could be there, because of the schedule.”

The return to an unbalanced schedule--extra games against teams within your division, rather than a similar number of games against every team in the league--is designed in part to stir excitement in September. Neither the Dodgers nor the Angels play outside their division for the final three weeks of the season.

In the NL West, this ought to be terrific. All five teams are within eight games of each other, with the Arizona Diamondbacks leading the Dodgers by three games. The Dodgers play seven of their last 10 games against the Diamondbacks.

In the AL West, well . . .

“If Seattle wasn’t so far ahead. . . . Let’s say if they were five games ahead, for us to try to sweep them would be more meaningful,” Angel catcher Jorge Fabregas said.

“I think it’s going to work out eventually. It’s a freak year in the American League West. Those guys have one of the best records in baseball history.”

Said Angel infielder Scott Spiezio: “The way Seattle’s playing, we might have to depend on the wild card.”

One need not wait until September to discern the effect of the unbalanced schedule on the standings. The Mariners beat up on all comers, but neither the Philadelphia Phillies nor the Boston Red Sox would be leading their division if they weren’t beating up on division rivals. Throw out intra-division games, and the suddenly lovable Minnesota Twins would be in third place in the AL Central.

“The unbalanced schedule makes your division more competitive,” Angel first baseman Wally Joyner said. “If you beat up on the teams in your division, you’re in the lead.”

Said Spiezio, “At least you’re getting a true winner out of the division. They play each other the most. In that respect, it’s pretty good.

“It seems a little more old school to me. I like old school--even though I like to DH.”

Interleague play, frankly, is a dud in many places without geographic rivalries. The Dodgers and Angels may draw well, particularly next weekend at Edison Field, when the Dodger fans of Orange County will make the visiting team feel right at home. However, plenty of good seats remain for tonight’s Arizona-Kansas City and Florida-Toronto games.

“If the fans like it, I’m for it,” Spiezio said. “As a player, I would like it if we played all our games in the American League.”

Said Fabregas: “It does create some interesting rivalries, like the Mets and the Yankees. But I think the Yankees would rather play Boston and try to beat them.”

Scioscia’s Dodgers, after all, developed a fierce rivalry with the Cincinnati Reds when the teams played 18 times each season. With renewed emphasis on intra-division games, players hope fans will develop a healthy hatred for the team standing between your team and the playoffs, not just for the team across town.

“When we play the Giants, we get 50,000 people,” Oakland first baseman Jason Giambi said. “It’s nice to play in front of large crowds. Definitely I think that was a good change.

“If the fan base is knowledgeable, it will create more rivalries. Hopefully, that will bring out these rivalries a little bit more. Playing the Yankees, you know you’ll always draw well. But playing this game is about trying to get into the playoffs. You have the opportunity to do that when you play teams in your own division.”

Said Joyner: “Interleague games are more important to fans--and to American League pitchers. They get to hit. They get to show their talent, or lack of it.”

Oh, and there is a postscript to Lasorda’s story: In 1982, the Braves still beat the Dodgers for the division title, by one game. He usually omits that part of the story.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Unbalancing Act

The unbalanced schedule--extra games against teams within the division, rather than a similar number of games against every team in the league--is having a big impact this season. Five of the six first-place teams have compiled better records against division foes than second-place teams, with the biggest disparity being in the AL West where Seattle is making it a runaway with baseball’s best intra-division record:

AL WEST

* Seattle 46-12

vs. West: 18-4

vs. others: 28-8

* Angels 29-29

vs. West: 9-13

vs. others: 20-16

AL EAST

* Boston 34-24

vs. East: 20-11

vs. others: 14-13

* New York 33-25

vs. East: 17-11

vs. others: 16-14

AL CENTRAL

* Cleveland 38-19

vs. Central: 18-9

vs. others: 20-10

* Minnesota 37-21

vs. Central: 20-8

vs. others: 17-13

NL WEST

* Arizona 36-24

vs. West: 19-10

vs. others: 17-14

* Dodgers 33-27

vs. West: 14-14

vs. others: 19-13

NL EAST

* Philadelphia 36-22

vs. East: 17-7

vs. others: 19-15

* Atlanta 32-26

vs. East: 13-13

vs. others: 19-13

NL CENTRAL

* Chicago 36-21

vs. Central: 20-10

vs. others: 16-11

St. Louis 32-27

vs. Central: 19-14

vs. others: 13-13

All-Intergalatic

Career leaders in the four seasons of interleague play:

BATTING AVERAGE

Minimum 125 at-bats

Edgar Martinez: .374

Mike Piazza: .370

Darin Erstad: .366

Wally Joyner: .365

Craig Biggio: .364

HOME RUNS

Carlos Delgado: 25

Ken Griffey Jr: 25

Eric Karros: 22

Rafael Palmeiro: 22

J.T. Snow: 21

RUNS BATTED IN

J.T. Snow: 68

Carlos Delgado: 65

Ken Griffey Jr: 62

Albert Belle: 57

Sammy Sosa: 57

EARNED-RUN AVERAGE

Minimum 40 innings

Justin Thompson: 1.48

Randy Johnson: 2.03

Steve Woodard: 2.18

Brett Tomko: 2.38

Doug Jones: 2.45

WINS

Greg Maddux: 10-3

Brad Radke: 10-4

Dave Burba : 9-3

SAVES

Mariano Rivera: 20

John Wetteland: 19

Trevor Hoffman: 16

Troy Percival: 14