If you spend anytime on this blog network, I'm sure you've wandered over to Beyond the Boxscore and read some of their work. Just about all of it is well thought out and unique, two qualities that are not always apparent in blogging. This past week, one of their writers made a post concerning injury trends/DL time for the thirty major league teams.
From 2002-2008, the Astros suffered the fewest total days lost due to injury than any other major league team. Divisional rival Cincinnati fared the worst in this category, for what it's worth. This doesn't really surprise me, as the Astros have been fortunate to have a good athletic training staff and luck on their side.
Roy Oswalt has suffered numerous oblique and groin injuries, as has Wandy Rodriguez. We've had a resilient bullpen during those years, with no pitcher in my memory missing time consistently. On the hitting side, Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman both missed significant time in 2005, while Jeff Kent, Carlos Lee, and Kaz Matsui are three regulars who were forced out of the lineup for extended periods of time. It's a bit unfair to put Lee in this group, as his broken wrist last season was an abberation to an otherwise healthy career.
This season, however, the team hasn't fared as well in the injury department. To wit:
| Player | Date | Status | Injury |
| Aaron Boone | Mar 27 | 60 Day DL | Heart Surgery |
| Kaz Matsui | May 26 | 15 Day DL | Strained Right Hamstring |
| Doug Brocail | May 4 | 15 Day DL | Strained Left Hamstring |
| Geoff Geary | May 14 | 15 Day DL | Right Biceps Tendinitis |
| Jose Valverde | April 27 | 15 Day DL | Right Calf Strain |
Those are just the players that are currently on the DL. Brian Moehler and Brandon Backe have spent time on the shelf this season, while Chris Sampson has thankfully recovered well from off season surgery. Baseball has a way of evening things up, and unfortunately, this may be an example of the evening up process.