Our family vacation to Sunriver is over. We’re home, tired, and reasonably happy. So I can update now from Thursday’s games, and report on a little study I did to kill time while Melanie’s family reminisced with friends about people I don’t know, etc.
Baseball Prospectus’ Ben Carsley published a piece Thursday discussing which MLB teams have suffered the most from injuries. He rated the Angels’ Starting Rotation as the unluckiest unit in MLB because it has had seven members spend a total of 630 days on the DL in 2017. He described their luck as equal to “walking under a ladder while breaking glass because you tripped over a black cat.”
This caught my eye because three of those seven Angels are also Wolverines, accounting for 276 of those DL days. I got to wondering whether any EFL team has been as snakebitten as the Angels’ rotation (the answer is “yes”) and which EFL team has suffered the worst (as of August 24-25, when I collected the data).
So I did a little study. I love little projects like this, especially when my hunch as to who has suffered the worst from injuries turns out to be true, if only just barely.
EFL Standings for 2017
| EFL | ||||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB | RS | RA |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 86 | 40 | .680 | — | 715.1 | 488.2 |
| Haviland Dragons | 83 | 44 | .650 | 3.6 | 764.0 | 559.4 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 82 | 45 | .646 | 4.1 | 662.7 | 489.4 |
| Cottage Cheese | 80 | 46 | .638 | 5.3 | 678.7 | 506.2 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 74 | 52 | .590 | 11.3 | 722.9 | 591.3 |
| Kaline Drive | 71 | 56 | .559 | 15.1 | 635.8 | 564.3 |
| Peshastin Pears | 70 | 56 | .557 | 15.5 | 628.8 | 567.6 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 68 | 59 | .538 | 17.9 | 641.5 | 579.0 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 59 | 65 | .474 | 25.9 | 589.3 | 622.8 |
| D.C. Balk | 48 | 76 | .387 | 36.6 | 613.9 | 775.3 |
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Pittsburgh: W, 1 – 0. (.105, .136, .158; 10 ip, 0 er). We look up at the Alleghenys (yet again) and wonder (yet again) how they keep beating us. Is it luck? Well, maybe: yesterday they went 2 for 19 at the plate, but won anyway because it happened to be the day Stephen Strasburg and three relievers twirled 10 shutout innings until Nick Castellanos could drill a game-winning 10th-inning walk-off double (apparently). But maybe they’re not so lucky, after all. The average MLB team had accumulated 690 days of DL listings by August 24. The Alleghenys: 709, fourth most in the league. True, the team leaders in DL days (Dalton Pompey, 145; Taylor Austin, 107) are not stars. But the team has still been winning despite average DL losses. There may be some smart management involved.
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Haviland: W, 3 – 1. (.250, .357, .361; 8.0 ip, 1 er). The Dragons essentially kept pace with a more balanced day Thursday. When Gary Sanchez wasn’t sneaking punches at Miguel Cabrera, he was blasting another homer to lead the Dragon attack. Carlos Martinez contributed 7 sparkling innings with only 1 earned run. But the Dragons: they have only lost 600 days to DL injuries this year, about 15% fewer than the mean for the league. And that includes Colby Rasmus’ 54 days (so far) of self-imposed exile not related to any injury. If we focus only on injuries, the Dragons have only 546 DL days, the second lowest in the league. What will happen when Haviland’s luck evens out?
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Flint Hill: W, 8 – 2. (.286, .412, .607; 8 ip, 2 er). Robbie Ray broke Michael Conforto just by making a pitch he swung at and missed. That’s amazing pitching power, possibly too dangerous to be permitted in MLB, or at least EFL. That keyed a great day for the Tornados, allowing them also to essentially keep pace with the Alleghenys. When we step back and look at the larger picture regarding injuries, however, we find the Tornados have benefitted from good injury luck. Flint Hill has only 448 days of DL listings through August 24, fewest in the league. What’s in that Kansas air that fortifies ballplayers so impregnably?
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Cottage: W, 5 – 1. (.167, .375, .333; 4.3 ip, 0 er). The lately lamented Cheese consider injuries to be a major reason why they aren’t running away with the EFL title, as they (and others of us) expected them to. They might be onto something: at 904 total DL days by August 24, the Cheese have the second-worst 2017 injury record in the league. But has it really mattered? Greg Bird, whose return from the DL was so movingly sung in the Lament, didn’t play in the Tiger-Yankee melee. If his 114 days on the DL (third most among Cheeses, after marginal players Alex Dickerson and Matt Duffy, both at 145) was so crucial, why isn’t he playing? Trout’s famous DL stint was only 46 days. He’ll probably still be the AL MVP. So where’s the beef, Cheese?
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Portland: L, 8 – 9. (.350, .440, .450; 14.3 ip, 11 er). Chris Sale faltered Thursday, coughing up a rare chulk (3 ip, 6 er). He does that so seldom, you wonder if he’s hurt somehow. The Rosebuds may have injuries coming. They are third-luckiest in the league with 569 DL days so far, well better than the average of 690. Wilson Ramos leads the ‘Buds with only 83 days missed. The disappointing season for a team picked to battle for the pennant has to be blamed somewhere else.
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Kaline; W, 7 – 6. (.333, .478, .833; 6 ip. 4 er). Michael Fulmer isn’t injured now, even after hitting Gary Sanchez to set off the trio of Tiger-Yankee brawls last night. But he has spent 13 days on the DL this season, making his contribution to the Drive’s total of 567 DL days, second least in the league. James McCann survived his 14 DL days and a Dellin Betances fastball to the helmet Thursday to contribute a homer and a walk to go along with his HBP for a 1.933 daily OPS.
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Peshastin: W, 7 – 4. (.318, .360, .545; 1 ip, 0 er). The Pears were down to 6 hitters and 1 inning pitched yesterday but it was Thursday so MLB didn’t play a full schedule. It didn’t help that the Pears have piled up 857 total DL days in 2017 so far, third most in the league. Jose Iglesias was clearly all right Thursday, attending to his business despite all the brawling going on around him, and ended up driving in the winning runs as part of his perfect day: 3 for 3 with two doubles and a walk.
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Old Detroit: W, 9 – 3. (.367, .387, .567; 2.7 ip, 0 er). If you’ve listened very closely over the course of the season, you might have heard a teensy whimper or two of complaint escaping Wolverine lips. Have pity on the poor Woeverines: they lead the league with a whopping 933 DL days, a whopping 35% more than the average team. Twenty-three Wolverines have spent some time on the DL. Perhaps all that suffering won’t go to waste, even with the W’s wallowing in eighth place. Without the injuries, the W’s would never have needed to draft Paul DeJong and his 3 for 4 with a double Thursday. They still have Christian Yelich, who so far has not hit the DL (any day, now that I’ve mentioned it) and went 3 for 4 with a double, a homer, and a walk.
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Canberra: W, 2 – 1. (.167, .200, 208; 8.3 ip, 1 er). The ‘Roos know whom to emulate. They came pretty close to carbon copying the Alleghenys Thursday: Martin Perez pitched 7 scoreless innings, for 0 earned runs. So they won with only two people getting hits, even after Dellin Betances was charged for a run after hitting James McCann in the helmet. In an otherwise frustrating season, at least the Kangaroos matched league norms in keeping players healthy, compiling 693 DL days, within 3 days of the mean.
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DC: L, 4 – 6. (.273, .314, .545; 2 ip, 0 er). The Balk have amassed 622 DL days, about 10% below the mean and good for the 5th best safety record in the EFL. They relied on a replacement starter Thursday because several starters are on the DL now. The always-healthy Mitch Moreland (oops I did it again) clouted two homers but they weren’t enough to escape with a win.
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Combined MLB + EFL Standings for 2017
| AL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 82 | 45 | .646 | — |
| Boston Red Sox | 73 | 54 | .575 | 9 |
| New York Yankees | 68 | 58 | .540 | 13.5 |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 68 | 59 | .538 | 13.8 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 62 | 65 | .488 | 20 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 63 | 66 | .488 | 20 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 60 | 67 | .472 | 22 |
| NL East | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Washington Nationals | 76 | 48 | .613 | — |
| Miami Marlins | 63 | 63 | .500 | 14 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 59 | 65 | .474 | 17.2 |
| Atlanta Braves | 56 | 69 | .448 | 20.5 |
| New York Mets | 55 | 71 | .437 | 22 |
| D.C. Balk | 48 | 76 | .387 | 28 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 46 | 80 | .365 | 31 |
| AL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 86 | 40 | .680 | — |
| Cleveland Indians | 70 | 56 | .556 | 15.7 |
| Minnesota Twins | 65 | 62 | .512 | 21.2 |
| Kansas City Royals | 64 | 62 | .508 | 21.7 |
| Detroit Tigers | 55 | 71 | .437 | 30.7 |
| Chicago White Sox | 50 | 76 | .397 | 35.7 |
| NL Central | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Cottage Cheese | 80 | 46 | .638 | — |
| Chicago Cubs | 68 | 58 | .540 | 12.4 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 66 | 62 | .516 | 15.4 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 64 | 63 | .504 | 16.9 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 61 | 67 | .477 | 20.4 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 54 | 74 | .422 | 27.4 |
| AL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Haviland Dragons | 83 | 44 | .650 | — |
| Houston Astros | 77 | 50 | .606 | 5.5 |
| Kaline Drive | 71 | 56 | .559 | 11.5 |
| Seattle Mariners | 65 | 63 | .508 | 18 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 65 | 63 | .508 | 18 |
| Texas Rangers | 64 | 63 | .504 | 18.5 |
| Oakland A’s | 55 | 72 | .433 | 27.5 |
| NL West | ||||
| TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT. | GB |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 90 | 36 | .714 | — |
| Portland Rosebuds | 74 | 52 | .590 | 15.7 |
| Peshastin Pears | 70 | 56 | .557 | 19.8 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 70 | 58 | .547 | 21 |
| Colorado Rockies | 69 | 58 | .543 | 21.5 |
| San Diego Padres | 57 | 70 | .449 | 33.5 |
| San Francisco Giants | 52 | 77 | .403 | 39.5 |