Yanks’ Season Unraveled One Injury at a Time

By TYLER KEPNER
Published: September 27, 2008

BOSTON — When a stiff shoulder knocked Joba Chamberlain from his start in Texas on Aug. 4, the Yankees were finished for 2008. They had made such careful plans for Chamberlain, invested so much hope, and at that moment none of it mattered. Chamberlain was just another injury casualty in a doomed season.

The Yankees were two and a half games out of a playoff spot when Chamberlain went down. They went 16-20 in their next 36 games, a stretch that lasted into the final homestand at Yankee Stadium. Losing Chien-Ming Wang to a foot injury in June was brutal. Losing Chamberlain was fatal. Neither made another start.

“We had one ace go down, and we produced another No. 1,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “Then he went down, too.”

It would be too simplistic to say injuries alone ruined the Yankees’ season. Years of corrosive institutional problems also forecast the end of their 13-year playoff run. But health was the biggest factor. The Yankees were not a bad team this season. But they were never whole.

The Tampa Bay Rays, surprise champions of the American League East, were the only team in the majors with five pitchers who each made 25 starts. The Yankees, who will finish third, had two pitchers make 25 starts. They were the only team in the majors that did not have three pitchers throw at least 115 innings.

They patched their rotation, and they might have gotten away with it if the offense had produced as it did in 2007. But that never happened. Injuries to Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui — and regressions by Robinson Canó, Melky Cabrera, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter — were too much to overcome.

In 2007, the Yankees scored 191 more runs than their opponents. This season, through Friday, they had outscored opponents by just 59 runs.

“Have they worked, have they grinded, have they done everything that they did last year? Yes, absolutely,” the hitting coach Kevin Long said. “But if you break it down much deeper than that, you can see why it didn’t transform into six runs a game. It just wasn’t going to happen. It was just something that, after opening day, never really transpired.”

When Wang went down, the Cleveland Indians were aggressively peddling an answer: C. C. Sabathia. The Yankees could have used Phil Hughes to front a package for him, but Cashman passed.

He did so partly because he believed the Yankees had enough offense to get by, but mostly because he believed it was foolish to trade elite prospects for a pitcher with no indication of wanting to sign a long-term contract with an East Coast team.

It was roughly the same logic Cashman applied last winter to the trade talks for Johan Santana, then with the Minnesota Twins. But those talks might have ended differently — and changed the course of the Yankees’ future — if not for a brief and devastating period of dysfunction in the team’s decision-making.

The start of the 2007 off-season played out largely beyond Cashman’s control. After Rodriguez fizzled in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, then opted out of his contract, Cashman started preparing for life without him.

In the short term, it would have been impossible to replace Rodriguez. But in the long run, there was an upside in not saddling the Yankees with a contract that would pay Rodriguez more than $20 million a season for the declining years of his career.

It was just those kinds of deals that started to infect the Yankees after they lost the 2001 World Series. That was when George Steinbrenner, their principal owner, demanded more control over baseball operations, sending the team on a four-year spending spree that started to wane when he yielded authority to Cashman after the 2005 season.

But last winter, when Steinbrenner put his sons, Hank and Hal, atop the hierarchy, the wild spending returned, over Cashman’s head. Hank Steinbrenner engineered the deals for Rodriguez (10 years, roughly $300 million), Posada (four years, $52.4 million) and Mariano Rivera (three years, $45 million).

As he kept spending, Hank Steinbrenner kept talking. He publicly campaigned for a deal for Santana, even though he had told Andy Pettitte he could take all the time he needed to decide on a $16 million option.

If the Yankees had held Pettitte to his original deadline — and if they had stood firm when Rodriguez came back to them — their thinking on the Santana deal might have been different. Cashman might have sacrificed Hughes and other prospects to get Santana, then signed Santana to a long-term contract.

But after the payouts to Rodriguez, Posada, Rivera and Pettitte (which totaled about $73 million for 2008), it seemed unwise to further bloat the payroll. The Yankees forged ahead with Pettitte and trusted Hughes and Ian Kennedy to hold spots at the back of the rotation. Pettitte faded badly in the second half, and Hughes and Kennedy did not win a game all season.

Cashman offered no apologies about putting faith in Hughes and Kennedy, offering the Twins as a parallel.

“They’re contending, and they have five young guys in their rotation,” Cashman said. “In New York, they talk about, ‘You can’t contend with two young guys,’ but in Minnesota you can with five? It just comes down to getting the job done, simple as that.”

Hughes, 22, and Kennedy, 23, are still young enough to inspire hope, though neither will be guaranteed a spot next spring. They will probably compete for a job with Alfredo Aceves.

As the Yankees enter another off-season, their first priority is to re-sign Cashman, who is well liked by the Steinbrenner brothers. Hal Steinbrenner has worked closely with Cashman and Manager Joe Girardi, and Cashman said, “I have a tremendous relationship with the Steinbrenner family.”

Hank Steinbrenner has publicly promised to be aggressive in pursuing free agents this winter, and the crop will be thick. The Yankees will explore Sabathia, although they are pessimistic about his desire to play for them.

They also face decisions on Pettitte and the rejuvenated Mike Mussina, and will look into the 18-game winner A. J. Burnett. A second tier of starters with past success in the American League — including Derek Lowe — may also be appealing. Pitchers without A.L. experience need not apply.

“It’s the toughest division in the league, and that’s why when teams go after pitching,” outfielder Johnny Damon said, “they can’t just throw a National League guy into the American League East. It’s a grind every single day, and that’s what G.M.’s are figuring out.”

The Yankees learned that lesson again this season with reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who was signed for $3.75 million but had a 5.71 earned run average. Traded to Houston in July, Hawkins dominated the National League.

Expect the Yankees to ignore all free-agent relievers this winter, confident in the setup corps Cashman has assembled through castoffs (Brian Bruney, Dan Giese, Edwar Ramírez, José Veras) and prospects (Phil Coke, Mark Melancon, Dave Robertson, Humberto Sánchez).

The pitching talent gives the Yankees choices, but the crop of position players in the minors is thin. A study by ESPN.com showed that only one position player drafted by the Yankees from 1997 to 2005 — the departed Andy Phillips — has amassed even 200 at-bats in the majors.

Restocking the farm system takes time, and the Yankees are excited about the Class AA center fielder Austin Jackson and the Class A catchers Jesús Montero and Austin Romine.

Yet there have also been crucial mistakes when evaluating position players in the draft. In 2004, the Yankees took pitcher Brett Smith with the 42nd pick. Later in the second round, Boston took Dustin Pedroia. A year later, the Yankees had the 17th pick and took shortstop C. J. Henry. Six picks later, the Red Sox grabbed Jacoby Ellsbury.

The lack of major-league-ready position players puts the Yankees in a tricky spot as they devise a new lineup. Two of their most productive hitters this season were Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi, but they are free agents who are past their primes. It would be unlike Cashman to retain them with multiyear deals.

The Yankees could let Cabrera and Brett Gardner, two strong defenders, compete for the center-field job. But they must prove they can hit. The team could also see if the Dodgers would trade center fielder Matt Kemp for Canó, who has bothered many in the organization for producing so little after being rewarded with a long-term contract. Canó could be replaced at second base by a free agent like Orlando Hudson.

The free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira is a Gold Glove fielder and a disciplined switch-hitter with power who will be only 29 when the new Yankee Stadium opens. With more than $75 million in expiring contracts, the Yankees could probably afford him.

If Teixeira replaced Giambi at first, Xavier Nady could take over for Abreu in right field, with Damon in left, Matsui at designated hitter and Gardner, Cabrera or Kemp in center.

Whoever makes the decisions — Cashman, a new general manager, or the Steinbrenners — the Yankees of 2009 will not be the same. As disappointing as it was to miss the playoffs, the Yankees understand that simply making it was not their goal in the first place.

“Our season is ending here at the end of September, but the last few years we’ve been going through this about five days after that,” Cashman said. “We’re trying to get through the entire month of October and be the last team standing, and obviously there’s a lot of work to be done. We’ll keep trying to figure it out.”

News source：http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/sports/baseball/28wrap.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=sports

Yankees’ Offense at Heart of Team’s Problems

By TYLER KEPNER
Published: September 11, 2008

When the Yankees splurged last winter to preserve the majors’ best lineup, they showered millions on several hitters. Another deal went largely unnoticed: a three-year, $1 million contract for the hitting coach, Kevin Long, who helped guide the 2007 offense to 968 runs, the most for the Yankees in 70 years.

A career minor leaguer, Long was a success story for the Yankees, validation of the organization’s plan to build from within — with a coach as well as with players. A year later, however, the Yankees’ offense has turned from an asset into a major problem.

After averaging 5.98 runs a game last season, the Yankees are down to 4.82 a game. Their final homestand at Yankee Stadium, which starts Friday against Tampa Bay, may be less a celebration than a countdown to elimination.

“It’s going to be a bit strange, because we definitely thought we would be pushing for a playoff spot,” Johnny Damon said. “But we owe it to the fans and the Stadium to go out there and play hard. There’s definitely some pride aspects to go out and play for.”

For Long, the end of the season is just another phase of a year-round job. He will consult with General Manager Brian Cashman and Manager Joe Girardi on how to retool the lineup, and he plans to make off-season visits to two of the Yankees’ more confounding players.

Long said Wednesday that he would travel to the Dominican Republic to work with Robinson Canó and Melky Cabrera. The Yankees have little invested in Cabrera, who lost his everyday job after struggling for most of the season. But Canó is a mystery.

In February, the Yankees signed him to a four-year, $30 million contract, making Canó the first Yankee in recent years to be awarded a long-term deal before free agency. They were convinced he was ready to become an elite player, but instead he has regressed.

Canó is hitting .261 with a meager .295 on-base percentage. He has not walked since Aug. 20, but more troubling to Long is his startling lack of power. Canó has 13 homers and a .397 slugging percentage — numbers lower than Coco Crisp, Fred Lewis and Skip Schumaker, among many others.

“He’s got big power that never plays, because there’s so much movement,” Long said. “He can’t get the barrel of the bat to the baseball with that much movement. So, basically, you’re taking a big tool and not using it.”

Canó uses an open stance, and Long said he plans to square Canó’s legs from the start. He said intensive, one-on-one sessions could help Canó the way they helped Alex Rodriguez after his disappointing season in 2006.

“Could we have done that before this year started? No,” Long said of changing Canó’s approach. “Anybody in their right mind would have said, ‘You don’t change this kid.’ He was able to dominate major league baseball to this point.”

Canó said he knew Long planned to visit, but they have not discussed specifics. Canó defended his season by saying he was “not going to be perfect every year,” but acknowledged that this has been a learning experience and said everything must improve.

“I don’t want to be back in this situation again,” Canó said. “This is a year that you can say, ‘O.K., this is not happening again.’ ”

As bad as Canó has been, he is only one reason the Yankees have fallen. The pitching is markedly better in the division this season, and the Yankees never used their intended lineup after opening day, when catcher Jorge Posada hurt his shoulder.

The Yankees did not expect Posada to duplicate his 2007 season, when he hit .338, but they relied on him for extra-base power and at-bats that wore down opposing pitchers.

They have also missed his presence as a clubhouse enforcer. Girardi is relentlessly upbeat, and the captain, Derek Jeter, is even-tempered and optimistic. Posada, who played only 51 games before season-ending surgery, has a different leadership style.

“We’ve missed him tremendously,” Long said. “First of all, Jorge’s one of those no-nonsense guys who will jump in a player’s face, jump in a coach’s face. He’s got that mentality of, ‘You know what, I don’t really care about this or that, this is how we’re going to do it. If I don’t like what I see, I’m going to tell you.’ We miss that.”

Long is positive by nature, but he also tries to be honest with hitters, telling them what he sees in unvarnished terms. His pupils have not responded as well this season, but they remain loyal.

“I really don’t think anything can be pinned on him,” Damon said. “He’s in the cage every second we’re in here, working with the guys. The only thing he can’t do is swing the bat for us. There’s no one who works harder at his job than him. He’s the best hitting coach in the league, without a doubt.”

The Yankees were designed to be the league’s best offense, too, built to withstand injuries to the pitching staff. Cashman’s faith in the lineup was one reason he did not trade for a starter when injuries depleted the rotation.

But the offense was not strong enough to dull the impact of the injuries, scoring two runs or fewer in 46 games, compared with 33 last season.

“We could never get on that really big roll to really get us over the top to negate those injuries,” Jason Giambi said. “If you get the team rolling, sometimes you can battle through because you’ve got momentum going. We just never could get on a big roll.”

They are all but out of time, and soon the players will scatter while the better teams play in October. For Long, though, there is no off-season, no rest from correcting the flaws of an offense that failed.

News source：http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/sports/baseball/12yankees.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin

Yankees Get Stellar Start From an Unexpected Source

By TYLER KEPNER
Published: September 10, 2008

Yankees 7, Angels 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The man in the gray T-shirt, marked in black with a giant number 91, had been waiting for this moment for decades.

He played 10 years as a first baseman in the Mexican League, where he was teammates with Fernando Valenzuela. But Alfredo Aceves Sr. never got a chance with a major league organization, and his eldest son, Jonathan, topped out at Class AAA in a 10-year minor league career.

On Tuesday at Angel Stadium, a younger son, Alfredo Jr., made his first major league start, and it was a rousing success. Aceves held the Los Angeles Angels to one run and five hits in seven innings, pitching the Yankees to a 7-1 victory before 43,042 fans, including a father who was too tense to be excited.

"Just nerves," said Aceves Sr. "More nerves than emotions."

Baseball teams learn to be skeptical of what they see in September, a lesson that was reinforced for the Yankees this season. They gave starting spots to Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy after both pitched well late last season, a decision that seems rash in hindsight.

So while there was reason to temper enthusiasm over Aceves, the Yankees were cautiously excited. At 25, Aceves is older than Hughes and Kennedy, and catcher Chad Moeller said his pitches are well above average. Aceves throws a fastball, cutter, changeup and curve.

"He attacked hitters, and he has plenty of stuff," Moeller said. "He has a lot better stuff than a lot of guys in this league. It's just going to be learning what to do here."

Aceves' effort was not enough to rescue the Yankees from fourth place in the American League East, because the third-place Toronto Blue Jays won both games of a doubleheader in Chicago, running their winning streak to 10.

But it was the Yankees' first victory in five games this season at Angel Stadium, where the Angels often expose the Yankees' flaws. The Angels (87-57) used a makeshift lineup on Tuesday, but that did not matter to the Aceves family.

"His confidence," said Alfredo Sr., when asked what made him most proud. "He confronted a team that had big bats – the biggest, strongest team, the Angels, with a lot of respect to them."

Aceves signed with Toronto in 2001 and played one season for their team in the Dominican Republic. When the Blue Jays tried to send him back the next season, Aceves asked for a trade to the Mexican League, where he stayed until the Yankees paid $450,000 to sign him in March.

Manager Joe Girardi was unfamiliar with Aceves at the time, but he could not help noticing him with each glowing minor league report. Aceves went 4-1 for Class A Tampa, and soon worked his way to Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Yankees promoted him last month, and after throwing five strong innings in relief of Darrell Rasner last week, Aceves took Rasner's spot in the rotation.

Manager Joe Girardi said the quality of the last two opponents Aceves has faced -- Tampa Bay and the Angels – makes his effort more impressive. Girardi also noticed how confident Aceves seemed with his pitches, throwing a changeup to the veteran Garret Anderson with a 2-0 count.

"I think he has good stuff, because he locates and he changes speeds," Girardi said. "He's not a guy that just blows you away. He locates his fastballs, he locates his changeups and he has the ability to throw off-speed when he's behind in the count for strikes."

Girardi continued: "Not only in that at-bat to Garret Anderson did he throw a 2-0 changeup, he threw a 3-2 curveball for a strike. It's one thing when you've thrown 20 in a game, but he probably only threw four or five. He has a good feel for all his pitches."

The Yankees supported Aceves with a run in the second inning and a three-run homer to right by Alex Rodriguez in the sixth. The rest of the runs came on homers by Johnny Damon, who chased Ervin Santana (15-6) in the seventh and connected again in the ninth off Justin Speier.

Aceves was gone by then, leaving after seven and taking the approach of a pitcher who has done this before. He said he had more than 30 friends and family members at the game, but he did not know where they were sat and did not look around.

"I don't see the stands," Aceves said. "Just the game."

INSIDE PITCH

Derek Jeter singled in the first inning for his 2,519th career hit, passing Babe Ruth for second place on the Yankees' career list. Lou Gehrig is the leader, with 2,721 hits. … Andy Pettitte, who starts on Wednesday, said he does not know if he will pitch next season but has no interest in playing for any team but the Yankees. "Obviously anyone else would say, 'I'll go wherever I want to,' because people want to try to get the most money," Pettitte said. "But, I mean, I'm not going anywhere, you know what I'm saying? The Yankees know me enough, it's not like I'm going to hold out. I guess if I had spent all my money or whatever, it might be different. But it's not about that, really, anymore." Pettitte said he would talk with his wife and oldest son in hopes of making a decision sooner than he did last winter, when he waited until December to tell the Yankees he would return.

News source：http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/sports/baseball/10yankees.html?ref=sports

As Yankees Roll, a Homer for the Replay Record Books

By TYLER KEPNER
Published: September 3, 2008

Yankees 8, Rays 4

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez lost a home run in May because of an umpire’s blown call, and soon baseball began to explore instant replay seriously. The system was put in last week across the majors, and the first test came Wednesday night at Tropicana Field — on another long drive by Rodriguez.

“There are 800 players in the big leagues, so what are the odds that I’d be involved in this, 2 to 1?” Rodriguez said. “How do I get myself into this?”

This blast, off Tampa Bay’s Troy Percival in the ninth inning, soared down the left-field line, carrying over the foul pole and crashing into a catwalk. Rodriguez stood at the plate and curled his neck to watch the ball’s flight, then clapped his hands and trotted as the third-base umpire, Brian Runge, signaled fair.

Rays catcher Dioner Navarro protested, and Manager Joe Maddon conferred with umpires for a minute. The crew left the field through the Yankees’ dugout, retreating to the umpires’ locker room and emerging after 2 minutes 15 seconds with the verdict: home run.

It was the 549th of Rodriguez’s career, pushing him past Mike Schmidt on the career list and punctuating an 8-4 victory, the Yankees’ third win in three games this month. Rodriguez was 3 for 4 with four runs batted in, narrowing his focus after a dismal August.

“We’re playing like every game’s our last,” Rodriguez said in the clubhouse before batting practice. “Every game is the most important game. We can’t control what anybody else does. I don’t even watch. All I care about is our team doing the best we can.”

For the third game in a row, the Yankees met that goal, hitting in the clutch and getting stingy relief pitching from Edwar Ramírez, Phil Coke, Brian Bruney and José Veras after Carl Pavano’s four innings.

With a 10-game hole in the American League East, the Yankees may not have time to catch Tampa Bay. They trail Boston by seven in the wild-card race, but the Yankees are doing their best to make September matter.

“The important thing is we’re winning,” Manager Joe Girardi said. “And when you’re winning, you’re usually gaining on somebody.”

Rodriguez is 8 for 13 in three games this week, with nine runs batted in. He singled in two runs in the middle innings Wednesday before his disputed homer.

Part of the confusion was because of a yellow marker sticking up from the catwalk behind the foul pole. Rodriguez’s homer crossed the foul pole in fair territory, making it a home run. But it tailed and hit the catwalk to the foul side of the unofficial yellow marker.

Maddon said he did not know if the ball was fair, so he followed the lead of his catcher, Navarro.

“Navi was adamant it was foul,” Maddon said. “I just said, ‘That ball was high, and the pole’s not high enough.’ ”

The crew chief, Charlie Reliford, said: “Since the technology is in place, we made the decision to use the technology and go look at the replays. And the replays we reviewed were conclusive that the call we made was correct.”

Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman was watching from a suite to the third-base side of the plate, and he could not tell if the ball was fair. But Cashman said he was pleased that the system worked.

“I think, ultimately, it gives everybody closure to believe that whatever call gets made is going to be the right call,” Cashman said. “That’s what the umpires want, that’s what both teams want, that’s what the fans want.”

That is what Cashman has wanted since Game 1 of the 1996 A.L. Championship Series, when the Yankees won with the help of a fan, Jeffrey Maier, who deflected a deep fly by Derek Jeter into the stands for a home run.

It was a pivotal moment that helped start a dynasty, but it should not have been a home run. Cashman has always felt conflicted about that play, because it was so unfair to the Baltimore Orioles.

“We would have had to go to Baltimore down, 2-0, having to play three in Camden Yards,” Cashman said. “You’re like, ‘How unfortunate is that circumstance?’ I’m happy we won and all that stuff, but when you step back, everybody wants it to be accurate. It’s high-stakes poker, whether it’s a game in June or October.”

For years, Cashman voted for instant replay at the general managers’ meetings, but only last November did the majority agree. A series of missed calls in May — including a Rodriguez drive that struck a staircase at Yankee Stadium and caromed back onto the field — prompted the implementation.

“They got the call right, and that’s the most important thing,” Girardi said. “The process worked.”

News source：http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/sports/baseball/04yankees.html?_r=1&ref=baseball&oref=slogin

Pettitte Gives Up Six Runs as Yankees Lose to Jays

Andy Pettitte gave up 6 runs and 10 hits in Sunday’s loss against Toronto. A mistake in the outfield in the first inning helped put the Yankees behind, 3-0.

By HOWARD BECK
Published: August 31, 2008

Blue Jays 6, Yankees 2

Xavier Nady has called Yankee Stadium home for five weeks, a span too short to have soaked up much of its glory and history — or to have learned its subtle quirks. As a newcomer, he also missed out on the Yankees’ 13 straight playoff appearances, a streak that is in jeopardy after another gaffe-filled weekend in the Bronx.

Nady, who was acquired in late July to boost the team’s playoff push, became the latest Yankee to make a critical mistake, misplaying a deep fly ball in the first inning of Sunday’s 6-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto scored two runs on the miscue and three runs in the inning, which was enough to sink Andy Pettitte and put another crimp in the Yankees’ fading postseason hopes. Roy Halladay used the lead to great effect, holding the Yankees to eight hits and two runs in seven innings to secure his 17th victory.

The loss left the Yankees seven games behind Boston in the wild-card race as they prepared to leave for a difficult 10-game trip. Barring a sudden turnaround, Yankee Stadium will be down to its final 10 games when the team returns.

Pettitte (13-11) blamed himself after giving up 6 runs and 10 hits in six and a third innings.

“I’m looking for a miracle here,” Pettitte said somberly, “and I’m just looking to right the ship here and do my job and get wins whenever I’m supposed to be out there on the mound.”

A few minutes later and one locker stall over, Nady took responsibility for contributing to Pettitte’s rough afternoon. Pettitte walked Marco Scutaro to start the game, then allowed one-out singles to Alex Ríos and Vernon Wells as the Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead. It could have ended there, but Nady misread a hard shot off the bat of Rod Barajas and let a ball that could have been caught sail over him in left field. Nady initially took a step toward home plate, then turned and ran toward the wall after realizing his mistake. Barajas was credited with a double and two runs batted in.

“By the time I recovered it was too late,” Nady said.

Manager Joe Girardi and Johnny Damon each blamed the sun, saying that left field at Yankee Stadium is among the most difficult places to play during a day game. Nady acknowledged those challenges but said he “just flat-out misread” Barajas’s hit and insisted that the sun was not a major factor on that play.

“It’s my fault, and, obviously, Andy pitched pretty well,” Nady said. “And it’s frustrating. If I catch that it kind of changes everything.”

A day earlier, the Yankees squandered a four-run lead after Robinson Canó committed an error in the seventh inning.

“I think everyone’s kind of in shock right now,” Nady said. “We’re not playing well right now. It’s obvious.”

Pettitte was otherwise solid for most of the afternoon, allowing just four hits over the next five innings, including a solo home run by Scott Rolen. He left with the Yankees trailing by 5-2 and was charged with a sixth run when Scutaro scored on a wild pitch by José Veras.

Halladay beat the Yankees for the fourth time this season, despite surrendering leadoff home runs to Alex Rodriguez (in the fourth inning) and Jason Giambi (in the sixth).

Having lost two of three to Toronto, the Yankees now leave for a trip that includes three-game series against two division leaders, Tampa Bay and Los Angeles.

“We have to play our best baseball of the year the rest of the year, there’s no doubt about it,” Girardi said. “If things don’t go your way, one at-bat or one pitch, you got to get back up and you got to fight.”

INSIDE PITCH

Joba Chamberlain will be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday, which would make him available to pitch that night in Tampa Bay, Joe Girardi said. The Yankees are waiting until then in order to give Chamberlain time to recover from the 35-pitch simulated game he threw on Saturday. Girardi has strongly hinted that Chamberlain will be used in relief, rather than as a starter. But when he was asked whether Chamberlain could resume his former role as the eighth-inning reliever, Girardi offered a coy grin. “We’ll see,” he said. ... The Yankees will bring up catcher Chad Moeller and the left-hander Phil Coke when rosters expand Monday. The right-hander Dan Giese (shoulder) is expected to rejoin the team Tuesday.. ... The last pitcher to beat the Yankees four times in one season was the Angels’ Chuck Finley in 1996. ... Jason Giambi’s sixth-inning home run was his 205th as a Yankee, moving him into a tie with Dave Winfield for 10th place in franchise history. ... After the game, the Blue Jays traded infielder David Eckstein to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a minor league pitcher. Eckstein was the Blue Jays’ designated hitter on Sunday. He went 2 for 4 with a run batted in.

News source：http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/sports/baseball/01yankees.html?_r=1&ref=baseball&oref=slogin

Yankees Running Out of Chances

洋基正在浪費自己的機會
By HOWARD BECK
Published: August 30, 2008
Blue Jays 7, Yankees 6

If the Yankees are to make September relevant and October a possibility, they will surely need gritty pitching from the back of their rotation, runs by the half-dozen and enough poise not to squander such gifts when they get them.
假如洋基想要在九月份保持競爭力並且闖進季後賽的話，那麼他們真的需要後段先發輪值的勇猛表現和每場六分以上的得分，並且維持穩定的表現以至於不會輕易的將領先優勢拱手送人。

They had enough going for them Saturday to inspire a little belief: six runs to support Darrell Rasner, a four-run lead in the seventh inning and signs of life throughout the lineup. True to their season, the Yankees let the momentum and the good vibes slip away, just as rapidly as the clouds gathered over their doomed stadium.
他們在星期六的比賽當中得到了足夠的分數，使他們可以稍微喘息一會兒，Darrell Rasner有了隊友六分的火力支援，到了第七局還有四分的領先優勢，打線似乎也有復甦的跡象。然而真實的情況是，洋基輕易讓贏球的契機和感覺的溜走，速度之快就像洋基球場上方的烏雲罩頂一般。

Robinson Canó botched a potential double-play grounder, Rasner unraveled, the bullpen folded and Alex Rodriguez — with redemption in his grasp — hit into a ninth-inning double play as the Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-6.
Cano搞砸了一個可能製造雙殺的機會，Rasner投球情緒因此受到影響，牛棚的後援也砸鍋，阿肉試圖抓住贖罪的機會，但最終還是在九局下半擊出了雙殺打，洋基也以6比7輸給了藍鳥。

As missed opportunities go, this one was colossal. The Yankees had won Friday on the surprising reliability of Carl Pavano’s arm and had a chance to take the series before facing the nearly unhittable Roy Halladay in Sunday’s series finale.
錯失了贏球的機會，在此刻顯得相當的巨大。星期五，洋基透過痛痛人令人驚奇的先發表現而贏得了比賽，在面對幾乎無法從藍鳥最後一戰先發Roy Halladay手中敲出安打的情況下，洋基有了贏得這次系列賽的希望。

“It’s a frustrating game,” Johnny Damon said. “We just wish we all could be a bit happier right now.”
「這是場令人感到挫敗的比賽。」大門說。「我們都希望現在的我們可以稍微開心一點。」

The loss cut short the Yankees’ modest winning streak at two games and left them six and a half games behind Boston in the race for the American League wild card. The Red Sox played the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
這場敗戰也中止了洋基最近短暫的二連勝，再外卡排行榜上也落後了紅襪六場半的勝差。紅襪將會在禮拜六晚上迎戰白襪。（編按：紅襪今天贏了白襪，所以目前洋基落後紅襪七場。）

“This one hurts a lot,” Rodriguez said, and his pain was perhaps more acute than some of his teammates’.
「這場比賽真的很傷。」阿肉說，而阿肉心中的痛也許比其他的隊友都要來的深刻。

After being booed for his lack of clutch hitting, Rodriguez had a perfect chance to win back the fans’ faith. An announced crowd of 53,273 rose to its feet and roared as Rodriguez came to the plate in the ninth, with no outs, a one-run deficit and two runners on base.
由於在關鍵時刻缺乏表現，阿肉飽受主場球迷的噓聲伺候，阿肉原本有機會贏回球迷們對他的信心的。九局下半，無人出局，一分落後，一二壘上有跑者，輪到阿肉上場打擊時，全場53,273名的球迷起立替阿肉加油歡呼。

Rodriguez worked the count full, then smacked a blistering shot to the left side. But José Bautista fielded it cleanly, stepped on third base and fired to first for a double play. The play triggered immediate boos, although it was not clear whether they were aimed at Rodriguez or the umpire. Rodriguez thought he beat the throw, and Manager Joe Girardi came out of the dugout to briefly argue the call. The game ended on Cody Ransom’s flyout to left field.
阿肉與投手糾纏到滿球數，最後擊出了左邊方向的強勁滾地球，然而José Bautista將球乾淨的接進了手套，自己踩了三壘壘包之後再傳向一壘，造成雙殺。全場球迷立刻報以噓聲，儘管我們不確定這些噓聲是針對阿肉還是一壘審。阿肉認為他比球還要早到一壘壘包，老吉也出來短暫的對一壘審的判決表示抗議。然而球賽還是在Cody Ransom的左外野飛球被接殺後，結束了。

“I hit it hard,” Rodriguez said. “He made an unbelievable play. I don’t know how he made that play. To be able to get two outs, it just leaves you speechless.”
「我將球擊得很扎實，」阿肉說，「他（José Bautista）完成了一個令人難以想像的守備。我不知道他是怎麼辦到的，竟然能夠完成雙殺守備，這真的只能讓你無語問蒼天。」

Canó also felt the fans’ discontent Saturday after committing the most costly error of the day, with a 6-2 lead in the seventh inning. With no outs and a runner at first, Toronto’s Lyle Overbay hit a grounder to the right side of the infield. Canó scooped it up, but his backhanded flip fell short of Derek Jeter’s glove, and the ball squirted away for a two-base error, with Adam Lind going from first to third.
Canó也感覺到球迷對於他在七局上半，洋基6比2領先的情況下，發生了令洋基損失慘重的失誤而非常的不滿。無人出局，一壘上有跑者，藍鳥打者Lyle Overbay擊出了右邊方向的滾地球，Canó一把將球撈起，反手傳給隊長時，球卻傳低了，球滾到了外野造成了兩個壘包的失誤，讓Adam Lind從一壘上到了三壘。

“I think he just might have been a little too far away to try to do a little shovel pass there,” Jeter said. “But it happens. It’s a play he makes a lot. Unfortunately, that time it was just a little off-target.”
「我認為他可能離壘包有點遠，以致於無法順利的將球拋傳到二壘。」隊長說，「但事情就這樣發生了，這樣的守備動作他已經做過很多次了，只是很不幸的，這次他的傳球有些失準。」

Rasner, who had been solid through six innings, then loaded the bases, giving up a run-scoring single to Bautista and a walk to Gregg Zaun before giving way to Brian Bruney. Rasner left the mound to an appreciative ovation, and with a 6-3 lead.
Rasner完成了六局的投球，但隨後卻造成了滿壘的局面，被Bautista敲出一支帶有一分打點的一壘安打，又保送了Gregg Zaun，之後洋基就換上了Brian Bruney上場後援。Rasner帶著6比3的領先下場，全場球迷報以熱烈的掌聲。

“I get in trouble and I try to do too much,” Rasner said.
「我陷入了麻煩之中，我試著想要掌控的事情太多了。」Rasner說。

Toronto added two runs on Joe Inglett’s broken-bat flare to shallow center field, cutting the deficit to 6-5. The Blue Jays tied the score on a run-scoring single by Bautista in the eighth, then took their first lead when Travis Snider scored on a fielder’s choice. Dámaso Marte, who allowed the first two base runners of the inning, was charged with the loss.
藍鳥又靠著Joe Inglett中外野方向的斷棒安打添得了兩分，將比數追到了5比6，一分的落後。藍鳥在八局上，得點圈有跑者時，靠著Bautista的安打再下一城，追平了比數，隨後靠著野手選擇，得到了超前分，取得這場比賽首度的領先。八局一上場就讓兩個人上壘的Dámaso Marte承擔了比賽的敗戰。

The fans booed Rodriguez when he struck out in the seventh and Canó when he struck out in the eighth.
球迷在七局下阿肉被三振和Canó在第八局被三振時都發出了噓聲。

The day had begun on a far more upbeat note. The Yankees tagged the Toronto starter John Parrish for four runs, including back-to-back homers by Canó and Iván Rodríguez in the fourth. Hideki Matsui drove in two runs with a double to the right-field wall in the fifth.
今天開局時，全隊的士氣超旺。洋基讓藍鳥先發投手John Parrish被轟了四分，其中包括了Canó and Iván Rodríguez在第四局的back-to-back全壘打。大松井也在第五局擊出了打中右外野全壘打牆的兩分打點二壘安打。

At the time, it looked like enough.
在當時，（領先的分數）看起來似乎已經是足夠了。

“You hope it is,” Girardi said. “With the way ’Ras was throwing and our bullpen’s been throwing, you hope that that’s going to be enough. But as a team you can never assume that.”
「你真的希望那已經足夠了。」老吉說。「依照Rasner今天的投球表現與牛棚投手之前的投球表現，你希望那樣的領先優勢已經夠了，但是，以球隊的角度，你絕對不能有那樣的想法。」

INSIDE PITCH

Joba Chamberlain, recovering from a shoulder injury, pitched to hitters for the first time Saturday and declared himself ready to contribute again, either as a starter or reliever. He could be activated from the disabled list soon, although Joe Girardi would not commit to a timetable. “He looked good,” Girardi said Chamberlain threw 35 pitches, without a break, and said he felt fine physically. He has not pitched since Aug. 4. Girardi has strongly suggested that Chamberlain, who was converted from a reliever to a starter earlier this season, will be used out of the bullpen when he returns.
肩膀傷勢逐漸復原的喬巴在星期六進行了第一次面對打者的投球練習，並且宣稱他已經準備好重回球場了，不管是以先發投手的角色或是中繼後援的身分。他很快的就會從傷兵名單當中回來，儘管老吉不願意對於確切的時間表示意見。
「他看起來恢復的不錯。」老吉說，喬巴完成了35球投球練習，中間沒有休息，並且表示他身體一切正常。自從八月四號以來，喬巴就再也沒有上場投球。老吉強烈的建議，球季稍早從中繼後援轉任先發的喬巴，回到陣中擔任牛棚投手的工作。

News source：http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/sports/baseball/31yankees.html?_r=1&ref=baseball&oref=slogin

When Chamberlain Returns, Another Transition Awaits

當喬巴歸隊，轉任（中繼後援）又將等著他
By JACK CURRY
Published: August 29, 2008

If Joba Chamberlain completes a 35-pitch session against hitters without any difficulty on Saturday, the Yankees said they could active him soon after. Chamberlain has a rotator cuff problem and has not pitched since Aug. 4.
如果在星期六，喬巴能夠順利的面對打者投完35球的練習的話，洋基表示，很快就會將喬巴從傷兵名單中移除。因為喬巴肩膀旋轉袖的問題，自從八月四號就再也沒有上場投過球。

Manager Joe Girardi strongly suggested Friday that when Chamberlain returns he will come back as a reliever, not a starter. Although Chamberlain’s arm will need time to get stronger before he can start, the Yankees would rather have him in the bullpen than have him strengthening his arm on a rehabilitation assignment.
老吉在星期五的時候，堅定的表示，如果喬巴歸隊了，他將會擔任牛棚當中的中繼後援，而不是重反先發輪值。雖然要喬巴重返先發，需要給他更多的時間來讓手臂恢復的更強壯一些，但是洋基寧願他待在牛棚當中，也好過他在復建的這段時間裡勉強的去操他自己的手臂。

“I feel there’s nothing that’s holding me back as far as strength wise,” Chamberlain said. “We got one more test tomorrow. Hopefully that will be the last one before we can get in a game.”
「我覺得現在沒有任何事情可以讓我再躺回傷兵名單，就算是手臂強度的問題也一樣。」喬巴說。「明天我們還有一次的投球測試，希望這是我能夠重回球場的最後一次。」

As Chamberlain transitioned from the bullpen to the rotation about three months ago, the Yankees never sent him to the minor leagues to build up his arm strength. Instead, Chamberlain used whatever allotment of pitches he was allowed in the major leagues and increased his strength in that fashion.
大約三個月前，當喬巴由牛棚投手轉任為先發時，洋基從來沒有把他送到小聯盟去訓練他手臂的強度。取而代之的是，喬巴運用他在大聯盟當中的投球配額來增強他手臂的強度。

“That’s what we did before so I’m thinking we’re thinking along the same lines,” Girardi said.
「那是我們之前的作法，所以我認為我們對這件事情的認知都是一樣的。」老吉說。

Chamberlain, who is 4-3 with a 2.63 earned run average, said it has been exasperating to be a spectator. Since he went on the disabled list, the team is 11-12.
今年戰績四勝三負，並且擁有2.63投手防禦率的喬巴說，他已經受夠了只能在一旁當個啦啦隊員了，自從他進入了傷兵名單後，洋基的戰績只有十一勝十二敗。

“It’s frustrating not to be out there with them battling,” he said. “I know I’m trying to get back there and be with them. It’s still frustrating not to be with them through pitch one through the end of the game.”
「無法上場與球隊一起並肩作戰真的讓人感到很挫折。」喬巴說，「我知道我正試著要回到球場與球隊一起奮戰，然而無法上場投球與隊友一起戰到比賽結束這件事情依舊讓人感到沮喪。」

When Chamberlain was asked if his comeback would be determined by him or by the medical staff, he said, it would be based on “how I feel.” Chamberlain said he was hoping to return in time to have an impact on a Yankees team that is fading.
當喬巴被問到，他能否歸隊是依據他自己還是醫護人員的決定時，他說，那全都得看他自己感覺如何。喬巴說，他希望自已能夠及時歸隊，帶給季後賽希望漸漸渺茫的洋基一些正面的能量。

“We got a chance,” he said. “We always got a chance.”
「我們有機會的。」他說道，「我們一直都還有機會（闖進季後賽）。」

RODRIGUEZ ARRIVES LATE
Alex Rodriguez was late for pre-game activities at Yankee Stadium on Friday and took batting practice indoors. Girardi said Rodriguez had been delayed by traffic and joked, “I’m going to give him a different way to get here.” Shortly before Rodriguez arrived, Girardi said he thought Rodriguez receives too much attention.
阿肉星期五的賽前練習遲到了，也將打擊練習改在室內進行。老吉說阿肉是因為交通堵塞害他遲到的，並且開玩笑的說：「看來我要告訴他另一條來球場的路才行了。」阿肉抵達球場不久，老吉說他認為阿肉得到太多人的「關愛」了。

“I think so because one guy has never won a World Series for you, a season series,” Girardi said. “It takes 25 people. So I think there’s always a ton of focus on him. There’s a ton of focus on him because he’s expected to be great every day.”
「我會這麼認為是因為，從來沒有哪一個人可以替你贏得世界大賽冠軍或是整個賽季。」老吉說，「這（贏球）需要全隊25人的力量，我認為總是有一拖拉庫的焦點會放在他（阿肉）的身上。會有這麼多關注放在他身上，也是因為他總是被大家期待在每一天的比賽當中都能夠打出絕佳的表現。」

News source：http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/sports/baseball/30pins.html?ref=baseball

The Dennis Rodman of the Yankees

洋基的小蟲羅德曼
By Tyler Kepner
Tags: Alfredo Aceves, Yankees
August 28, 2008, 11:59 am

The newest Yankee is reliever Alfredo Aceves, who will be the first Yankee ever to wear No. 91. And why did he choose it? For Dennis Rodman.
洋基的最新成員，中繼投手Alfredo Aceves是洋基隊史上第一位穿上91號球衣的球員，至於為什麼要選擇91號的球衣呢？答案是為了小蟲Dennis Rodman。

“When I was in high school, I used to watch basketball and the Chicago Bulls,” Aceves said this morning. “Dennis Rodman was one of the best players at that time. The way he played, he played a lot mentally. He made the other players get frustrated.”
「當我還在唸高中的時候，我常常看籃球賽和公牛隊的比賽。」Aceves今天早上說，「小蟲是當時最好的球員之一，他常常會用一些心理戰術來打球，他讓其他球員感到挫敗。」

But you’re not nuts, right, Alfredo?
但，你不是怪咖對吧，Alfredo？

“But I’m not nuts,” Aceves said, laughing.
「對，我不是個怪咖。」Aceves笑著說。

The Yankees paid $450,000 to Aceves’ Mexican League team to sign him in February. At the same time, they also signed Manuel Banuelos, who is 4-1 with a 2.57 E.R.A. in the Gulf Coast League. “He’s a teenager, left-hander, very good,” General Manager Brian Cashman said.
洋基在二月，花了45萬美金向Aceves墨西哥聯盟的球隊簽下了他。同時間，他們也簽下了在Gulf Coast League有著四勝一敗，2.57投手防禦率的Manuel Banuelos。「他（Manuel Banuelos）是個年輕的左投手，相當不錯。」現金人說。

Aceves is here to provide bullpen depth, but he projects as a starter. He has made 23 starts this year in Class A Tampa, Class AA Trenton and Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, succeeding at every level with a fastball, curveball and changeup. Here’s the scouting report on him from June from Class AA catcher P.J. Pilittere.
Aceves現在用來增加牛棚的深度，但是他原本的計畫是當個先發投手。他今年在一Ａ、二Ａ和三Ａ共有23場的先發，運用他的快速球、曲球和變速球，成功的升上了大聯盟。這裡有他自從六月份的球探報告：http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/name-to-remember-in-the-yankees-farm-system-alfredo-aceves/，資料來自與他在二Ａ搭配的捕手P.J. Pilittere。

Give the Yankees credit for cobbling together a respectable bullpen from some surprising sources: Aceves (Mexican League), Edwar Ramirez (independent league), Jose Veras (minor league free agent) and Brian Bruney (minor league free agent) have all been success stories.
你必須要讚賞洋基能夠從一些地方找來幾位令人感到驚喜的球員填補牛棚的戰力，像是來自墨西哥聯盟的Aceves、來自獨立聯盟的Edwar Ramirez、小聯盟的自由球員Jose Veras和Brian Bruney，這些球員的表現都相當不賴。

News source：http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/the-dennis-rodman-of-the-yankees/

Hughes Making Progress at Class AAA

大帝在三Ａ持續進步中
By Tyler Kepner
Tags: Phil Hughes, Yankees
August 28, 2008, 7:04 pm

The Yankees have not forgotten about Phil Hughes, who started the season in the rotation but is now laboring for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. On Wednesday in Buffalo, Hughes worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and six hits, striking out seven with one walk. It followed two dismal starts that put into question whether Hughes would return in September.
洋基還沒有忘了大帝，這位本季一開始待在先發輪值表，現在卻在三ＡScranton/Wilkes-Barre的投手。星期三在Buffalo，大帝主投六又三分之一局，丟了兩分，被敲出六支安打，送出了七次三振與一次保送。在兩次令人感到沮喪的先發之後，大家都在懷疑大帝是否能夠在九月重返洋基，這場好表現像是一場及時雨。

Nardi Contreras, the organization’s pitching coordinator, traveled to Buffalo for the start. He showed Hughes video of his strong outings in 2007 and worked on mechanical adjustments.
球團的投手指導員Nardi Contreras特地為了大帝的這場先發飛到Buffalo。Contreras播放了大帝在2007年強力的投球表現給大帝他自己看，並且幫助大帝調整他的投球機制。

“He threw the ball hard,” Contreras said. “Threw the fastball for strikes and had a real good curveball. Real good changeup, mixed in a slider. He attacked the strike zone. They had (Josh) Barfield, Victor Martinez and (Tony) Graffanino in the lineup. He did well.”
「他投的很賣力，」Contreras說，「他用快速球搶好球數，而且擁有很好的曲球，不錯的變速球搭配上滑球，他持續攻擊好球帶，他們的打線擁有Josh Barfield、Victor Martinez and (Tony) Graffanino，他（大帝）做的很不錯。」

Contreras said Hughes topped out at 94 miles an hour and pitched regularly at 92. He would not say what adjustments he made to Hughes’ delivery, but he seemed to like the results.
Contreras指出大帝的最快球速來到了94 miles/hr，而且快速球經常維持在92 miles/hr左右。他（Contreras）並沒有說他替大帝做了哪些投球動作上的調整，但看起來，他似乎很滿意這樣的結果。

“He did well, and he had some success,” Contreras said. “He’s on his way.”
「他（大帝）做的很好，而且有一些不錯的進展。」Contreras說，「他漸漸步上軌道了。」

Not literally, Contreras meant. That is a call for General Manager Brian Cashman and Manager Joe Girardi, who will start adding players from the minors when rosters expand on Monday.
實際上，並不完全像是Contreras所說的那樣。最後的決定權還是在現金人和老吉手上，在下星期一，他們可以決定從小聯盟拉哪些人上來進入擴編名單當中。

News source：http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/hughes-making-progress-at-class-aaa/

More mailbag!

Christian writes: Hey Peter, what do you see the Yankees doing in terms of the outfield, first base and starting pitcher this offseason?
嗨，彼得胖，你認為洋基在本季結束之後，會怎樣調整外野、一壘手和先發投手群的陣容呢？

Answer: I’m not sure you’ll see much of anything in the outfield. Damon, Matsui and Nady will be back and Abreu could be as well depending what he wants. Melky Cabrera is at a career crossroads. But Austin Jackson is making progress and Brett Gardner could be a helpful player as well. First base is more complicated. Teixeira sounds great but would come at a great cost. Posada could play there at some point. So could Damon, maybe. In my opinion they need to bring back Mussina and/or Pettitte and bring in a front-line starter like Sabathia. Burnett would be a risk given his injury history.
我不確定你會在外野陣容上看到怎樣的變化，大門、大松井和奶弟都將會留下來，而Abreu則是要看他開的條件來決定（如果條件ＯＫ，也會留下）。牛奶弟已經來到了職業生涯的十字路口，Austin Jackson持續進步當中，Brett Gardner可能會是個不錯的小幫手。至於一壘手的位置就複雜多了。鐵爺聽起來很不錯，但是預料將會讓洋基大失血。Posada有時候可能也會在一壘的位置跑跑龍套，大門也可能會比照辦理。（編按：真的假的？！）就我的看法，他們（洋基）應該把穆帥或是帥派留下來，然後再搶一個輪值表前幾號的先發投手過來，像是沙胖。Burnett也是不錯，不過因為他過去的傷病史則可能會有點風險。

－－－－

Chris writes: What are the chances the yankees transition Jesus Montero to 1B for next year mid-season or 2010? I know he hasn’t made it far through the system but the yanks can’t afford to sign Tex, CC, and A-Rod at their current rates, so why not transition Jesus and keep the spot open for him. Just wondering your take on this as I have finally started looking towards 2009.
你認為洋基在明年季中或是2010年，把Jesus Montero轉到一壘的可能性有多高呢？我知道他在洋基農場系統還沒有待的很久，但是洋基沒有辦法同時負擔鐵爺、沙胖和阿肉他們目前的薪資，所以，為什麼不把Jesus轉往一壘的位置，並且把這個位置留給他呢？只要想到這樣的陣容，我就開始期待明年的賽季了。

Answer: Montero will be 19 in November and played low Class A ball this season. He is not going to be MLB-ready any time soon, the end of 2010 maybe. Beyond that, with Posada having three more seasons, they need to give Montero every chance to catch before thinking about moving him.
Montero在今年11月才會滿19歲，而且他這個球季才剛在低階一Ａ出賽。他還沒這麼快就準備好成為一個大聯盟的球員，也許到了2010年都還不是時候。除此之外，Posada還要替洋基出賽三個球季，他們（洋基）需要讓Montero任何可以蹲捕的機會，而不是急著轉調他。

－－－－

N.M. in Chicago writes: Everything I thought about the Yankees this season proved wrong. Girardi has been over his head, the bench was terrible and A-Rod has gone back to what he did in 2007. Would Mattingly or Torre make a difference?
之前我對洋基的所有看法都被證明是錯的。老吉的危機迫在眉睫，板凳的表現也遭透了，阿肉的表現則是和2007年相差甚遠。如果換成是Mattingly或是Torre來帶領洋基，有可能讓事情變的不一樣嗎？

Answer: It’s impossible to say. Girardi could stand to loosen up a bit, but veteran players don’t usually much care who the manager is as long as they play. Torre or Mattingly can’t just tell somebody to hit with runners on base. This was going to be a difficult season from the start and then the injuries hit. No team goes to the playoffs every season, it was just a matter of when it happened. Now it’s a matter of what they do about it.
這根本沒有辦法去比較。老吉可能會試著放球隊放鬆一點，但是有經驗的老鳥通常不會太在意總教練到底是誰。Torre或是Mattingly也沒有辦法叫某個球員在壘上有人時打安打，他就打出安打。這個球季是因為先發投手群與傷病的原因，才會變的如此艱困。沒有哪一隻球隊能夠每一年都打進季後賽，這（指無法進入季後賽）只是什麼時候發生的問題而已。現在就是洋基目前正遭遇到的問題。

－－－－

The guys at Full Count Pitch did an interview with me a few days after they quizzed Sweeny Murti. So check those out.

News source：http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2008/08/29/more-mailbag/

With Sense of Urgency, Pettitte Cuts His Losses

危機意識讓帥派中止了他的連敗
Derek Jeter had three hits, including a two-run homer, raising his average to .298.

Yankees 5, Blue Jays 1
By TYLER KEPNER
Published: August 20, 2008

TORONTO — When the Yankees stormed into the playoff race last summer, it seemed they could always count on Andy Pettitte. He won all six of his starts in August by reeling off his usual string of steely performances.
去年夏天，當洋基正在為季後賽奮戰的時候，帥派似乎是他們唯一可以依靠的對象。在八月份，帥派強硬的投球表現替自己贏得了所有八月份的先發比賽。

This season has been different, of course, for Pettitte and the Yankees. Before Wednesday night’s start at the Rogers Centre, the Yankees had lost each of Pettitte’s last four outings. He had pitched well at times, but not well enough.
然而這個球季對於帥派和洋基來說，已經變的不一樣了。星期三晚上在Rogers Centre先發之前，洋基在帥派過去的四場先發出賽中，全都輸了球。有時候他投的不錯，有時候則是表現的不盡理想。

“I’m hard on myself,” Pettitte said. “I don’t really come away from seven-plus innings and three runs saying, ‘Way to go.’ It’s a loss. But yet, you still want to build on it. You realize you’re throwing the ball decent.”
「對此我感到很自責。」帥派說，「我沒有投完七局（或七局以上）並將失分壓在三分之內的表現。這是一種挫敗。但即使如此，你還是希望可以拿出這樣的表現。你知道自己可以投出一場像樣的球賽。」

Pettitte went from decent to excellent this time, throttling the Toronto Blue Jays for seven innings of a 5-1 victory. He allowed five singles and no other base runners, and Derek Jeter helped with three hits, including a two-run homer.
帥派這場比賽的表現棒極了，七局的投球徹底壓制住藍鳥的打線，並帶領洋基以5比1拿下勝利。他被敲出的五支安打全都是在壘上沒有跑者的時候，而隊長也適時提供了火力的支援（三支安打，其中包括一發兩分打點全壘打）。

Pettitte improved to 13-9, and Jeter, with 16 hits in his last 26 at-bats, raised his average to .298. It has not been that high since the series in May when Baltimore’s Daniel Cabrera hit him on the hand with a pitch.
帥派本季的戰績來到了13勝9敗，隊長在過去26個打數當中敲出16支安打，也將他的打擊率提升到2成98。自從五月份，金鶯投手Daniel Cabrera觸身球砸中了他（Jeter）的手以來，這是他本季打擊率最高的時候。

“They know what it takes, and they’ve been there, and they understand what we have to do,” Manager Joe Girardi said, referring to Pettitte and Jeter. “Those are two of the leaders in here. Leaders have to step up, and that’s what they’re doing.”
「他們都了解洋基現在的處境，也仍然持續的奮戰著，他們都知道應該怎麼做。」老吉談到帥派和隊長時這麼說。「他們兩個都是洋基的領導人物。身為領導者，就必須帶頭替球隊做出貢獻，而這也是他們今天所做的。」

The victory was Pettitte’s first since July 26, the last game in the Yankees’ eight-game winning streak after the All-Star break. Since then, they are 9-14, 10 games behind Tampa Bay in the American League East and five and a half behind Boston for the wild card.
這是從7月26號，洋基自明星賽八連勝最後一場以來，帥派的首場勝投。從那之後，洋基的戰績為9勝14敗，在美聯東區落後光芒10場勝差，在外卡也落後紅襪五場半。

If the Yankees had lost, they would have been tied with the Blue Jays for third place in the division. They were facing a starter they needed to beat, and they handled him with ease.
假如洋基輸球，那麼他們將會和藍鳥並列分區第三。洋基面對的是他們必須擊敗的投手，而他們也輕鬆的做到了。

The Toronto rookie David Purcey, a former Yankees draft pick with a 6.55 earned run average, lasted four innings and allowed five runs. His start was sandwiched between two aces, A. J. Burnett and Roy Halladay. Burnett humbled the Yankees on Tuesday, and Halladay usually does the same thing.
藍鳥的菜鳥投手David Purcey是洋基之前經由選秀挑中的，本季防禦率為6.55，在四局的投球當中掉了五分。他的先發夾在兩位ACE（A. J. Burnett和Roy Halladay）之間。Burnett在星期二讓洋基吞下了敗仗，而Halladay也經常幹這種事（讓洋基吃敗仗）。

“You know what you get when you’re facing Halladay,” Girardi acknowledged after the game. “You’re getting one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.”
「你知道當你遇上Halladay的時候會是怎樣的情形，你要面對的是全大聯盟最好的其中一位投手。」老吉在賽後這麼說。

From the beginning, the Yankees played with urgency. At least, that was how it looked against Purcey, whose poor fastball command kept him from showing off his slider. He gave up singles to the first three hitters he faced, loading the bases.
從比賽一開始，洋基就帶著危機意識在打球。至少，看起來這讓他們擊敗了Purcey，而Purcey快速球控球的不理想，也讓他的滑球無用武之地。他面對的前三位打者都從他手中敲出一壘安打，也因此造成滿壘的狀況。

After a shallow fly to right by Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi drove in Johnny Damon with a sacrifice to deep center. Xavier Nady followed with a single to right to make the score 2-0.
在阿肉擊出右外野軟弱的飛球之後，大吉打出了中外野深遠的高飛犧牲打，送回大門。奶弟隨後敲出一支安打，將比數改寫為2比0。

The way Pettitte pitched, that was a comfortable lead. He retired 13 of the first 14 hitters, attacking the lower half of the strike zone and working quickly.
帥派今天的投球表現也讓洋基安穩的領先。攻擊好球帶下半區的投球策略非常管用，這也使得他所面對的14位打者，其中13位全都無功而返。

“You don’t let the hitter think, that’s the main thing,” José Molina said. “Me as a catcher, you don’t let the pitcher think. A lot of things happen when pitchers think.”
「你不能讓打者有機會思考，這是最主要的一點。」摸二哥說。「身為一位捕手，你也不能讓投手想太多，很多事情就是在投手胡思亂想的時候發生的。」

Pettitte said he wanted to stay aggressive. He had issued a season-high four walks in his last start, against Kansas City, and two turned into runs. For this game, Pettitte gave himself more credit.
帥派說他要保持投球的攻擊性。上次面對皇家的先發，他送出了本季單場最多的四次保送，也造成了兩分的失分。而這次，帥派給自己更多的信心。

“Some guys I don’t need to be walking,” Pettitte said, and the weak-hitting Blue Jays met that description.
帥派說：「有些人我根本不需要對他們投出保送。」藍鳥軟弱的打擊說明了這點。

Toronto bunched three singles in the sixth inning, scoring a run with one out. But Pettitte recovered to strike out Vernon Wells, jamming him with an inside fastball, and a lazy fly to left ended the threat.
藍鳥在六局下半一人出局時，敲出了三支安打得到一分。但是帥派隨即回穩，塞了一記內角速球，讓Vernon Wells擊出軟弱的左外野飛球，結束了這個半局的危機。

Pettitte raised his arms as the ball settled into Nady’s glove — more out of relief, it seemed, than showmanship. The second half has been frustrating for Pettitte, who had gone four second-half starts without a win for the first time since 2001.
當球被奶弟穩穩地接進手套時，帥派舉起了他的手臂，這樣的舉動與其說是表演，其實看起來更像是鬆了一口氣。下半季（指明星賽之後）對於帥派來說的確是讓他感到挫折，自從2001年以來，他第一次在下半球季先發出賽四場卻一勝未得。

That season turned out well enough for Pettitte, who helped guide the Yankees to another pennant. When they lost the World Series to Arizona, it was considered a failure.
雖然那個球季（2001的賽季）對於帶領洋基打進季後賽爭取世界大賽冠軍的帥派來說，已經是非常好了。但是當他們在世界大賽輸給響尾蛇的時候，一切都被認為是失敗的。

The expectations are different now, as the Yankees scramble to simply make the rest of their games relevant. They need more efforts like this to meet that goal, and Pettitte has not lost faith.
可是現在情況不同了，洋基面臨這最後搶勝的階段，每一場比賽非常重要。他們必須像今天一樣，付出更多努力來達成目標，就像帥派沒有失去信心一樣。

“We were able to do it last year, and there’s no reason we can’t do it again,” he said. “The teams that are ahead of us, we have to play still. I really believe we can pull this thing off.”
「去年我們能夠辦到（指賽季末努力搶勝，最後闖進季後賽），沒有理由我們不能再做到一次。」帥派說。「這些戰績領先我們的球隊，我們都還必須跟他們對戰。我真的相信我們可以拋開這一切，闖進季後賽。」

INSIDE PITCH

Carl Pavano threw in the bullpen for Class AA Trenton on Wednesday and is in line to start for the Yankees on Saturday. Phil Hughes, another candidate, is listed as the Friday night starter for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees have not confirmed their Saturday starter, but General Manager Brian Cashman said, “Both players are fine and in line with their next start.” ... Derek Jeter’s homer was his 203rd, passing Bill Dickey and tying Roger Maris for 11th place on the Yankees’ career list.... Mariano Rivera’s son MarIAno Jr. wore his father’s No. 42 and served as the Yankees’ bat boy.
痛痛人星期三在2A Trenton的牛棚進行了練投，他也是洋基表訂在星期六的先發投手。另一個選擇，大帝，也表訂在星期五晚上替3A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre出賽。雖然洋基尚未確定他們星期六的先發人選，但現金人說：「這兩位投手都很健康，也將按照計畫在表訂的場次先發上陣。」（編按：那痛痛人說他脖子僵硬又是怎麼回事？　=.=||）

隊長今天的全壘打是他生涯的第203號，超越了Bill Dickey也追平了Roger Maris，並列洋基隊史上的第11位。

MO的兒子MarIAno Jr.穿上了自己父親42號的球衣，並且在洋基球場擔任球童的工作。

News source：http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/sports/baseball/21yankees.html?_r=1&ref=baseball&oref=slogin

PS：文章落落長，看的我眼睛都花了　@@~~

順便補個Game box：

Replay Moves Closer to Reality

立即重放系統讓比賽更接近現實
By Jack Curry
Tags: instant replay, umpires
August 20, 2008, 6:43 pm

The use of instant replay in major league games is inching closer to fruition. The commissioner’s office and the umpires reached an agreement on the details regarding the implementation of a replay system on Wednesday.
在大聯盟比賽當中啟用立即重放系統已經快要成真了。星期三，大聯盟委員會辦公室和裁判們達成了有關設置重放系統細節的協議。

Although a baseball official who was briefed on the discussions would not give specifics about the agreement, the World Umpires Association sent a letter to the commissioner’s office to confirm the accord.
雖然對討論結果鬆了一口氣的棒球官員並沒有對協議的細節詳細說明，世界裁判協會還是發函至聯盟委員會辦公室，確認協議的相關內容。

Major League Baseball has already begun installing equipment at ballparks and hopes to have the system in place this month. The replay equipment would be used to help make calls on whether balls cleared the fence for home runs or whether balls hit near the foul pole are fair or foul.
大聯盟已經準備好在球場設置重放系統，並且希望在這個月就能夠啟用。重放系統將會用來幫助裁判判斷全壘打球是否確定飛出場外，或者靠近界外標竿的球是界內還是界外。

News source：http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/replay-moves-closer-to-reality/

Zambrano Ready for a Return to the Majors

Zambrano已經準備好再戰大聯盟
By Michael S. Schmidt
Tags: victor zambrano
August 19, 2008, 10:13 pm

TRENTON — A name that sends Mets fans into a tizzy has quietly emerged as a possible starter for the Yankees this Saturday.
一個讓梅子球迷感到興奮（或是震驚？）的名字，同樣的也可能會是星期六洋基的先發投手候選人之一。

Victor Zambrano, whom the Mets acquired in a trade for Scott Kazmir shortly before the 2004 trading deadline, pitched for the Trenton Thunder, the Yankees’ Class-AA affiliate, on Monday. His manager said Zambrano, two seasons removed from elbow surgery, is ready to pitch again in the major leagues.
2004年交易截止日之前，梅子隊交易掉Scott Kazmir而換來的Victor Zambrano，星期一在洋基2A的Trenton Thunder登板先發。他的經紀人說，因為手肘手術缺席兩個球季的Zambrano已經準備好再次登上大聯盟。

“He’s a guy who had command of both sides of the plate and command of the strike zone,” Thunder Manager Tony Franklin said on Tuesday about Zambrano’s outing, in which he pitched five innings, allowed four hits and no runs.
「他是個能夠掌控本壘板兩側以及宰制好球帶的傢伙。」星期二，Thunder總教練Tony Franklin談到Zambrano先發表現（主投五局，被打四支安打無失分）時這麼說的。

“As I have said, if you can make pitches low in the strike zone, you can pitch anywhere, and he did that and could pitch in the big leagues,” Franklin added.
「如同我所說的，如果你能夠將球控制在好球帶低的位置，那麼你到哪都能夠投球，他（Zambrano）就做到了，而且他也具備在大聯盟投球的能力。」Franklin說。

Before he was promoted to Trenton, Zambrano made two starts with the Yankees’ Class-A affiliate in Tampa and did not allow a run in eight innings.
在Zambrano升上Trenton之前，他在洋基1A先發出賽了兩場，主投八局沒有掉任何的分數。

“I am doing good and feeling good, and my arm is in good shape,” Zambrano said. “It was my second Tommy John surgery, so you have to be patient. My velocity is there — 90, 91, 89. When I signed with the Yankees it was to prove that I am healthy and to get an opportunity to pitch.”
「我表現的不錯，而且感覺也很好，我的手臂狀況也很棒。」Zambrano說。「這是我第二次動Tommy John的手術，所以必須要有耐心。我的球速還在89～91mile這個範圍。」我和洋基簽約就是要證明我依然很健康，還有機會上場投球。

The Mets’ deal for Zambrano has turned into one of the more embarrassing in team history. In 2005, his first full season with the Mets, Zambrano went 7-12 with a 4.17 earned run average. He made only five starts in 2006 before he had elbow surgery. He never pitched again for the Mets and bounced from team to team. Meanwhile, Kazmir has become one of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball.
Zambrano的合約可以說是梅子隊史上最讓人感到難堪的合約之一（編按：再怎麼樣，都有洋基這張痛痛人的合約幫你們頂著，再怎麼冏也輪不到你們　XD）。2005年是Zambrano第一個完整的球季，他繳出7勝12敗，防禦率4.17的成績。2006年，在他進行手肘手術之前，僅先發出賽了五場。之後他就再也沒有替梅子出賽過，並且換了一隊又一隊。同時，Kazmir已經成為聯盟中最好的左投手之一。

With the Yankees needing a starter for Saturday, Zambrano is being mentioned along with Carl Pavano and Phil Hughes, as possibilities.
在洋基星期六的先發投手候選人名單中，Zambrano和痛痛人與大帝同樣都是可能的人選。

And, what did Zambrano think of his chances? He shrugged his shoulders and smiled, “It’s going to be a good story. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve been working everyday.”
然而Zambrano怎麼看待這個（重返大聯盟）的機會呢？他聳聳肩笑著說：「這可能會是個好的結果，雖然這一切並不容易，我每天都為了這個目標而努力。」

News source：http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/19/zambrano-ready-for-a-return-to-the-majors/

Some news about Yankees

Now It's Carl's neck！！
痛痛人這次又輪到脖子出問題了！！
By GEORGE A. KING III
Posted: 3:19 am
August 20, 2008

TORONTO - Carl Pavano Carl Pavano came out of a minor-league rehab start Sunday with stiffness in his neck and didn't throw a bullpen session yesterday.
痛痛人在星期天投完了小聯盟復健賽之後，突然感到脖子有點僵硬，所以錯過了昨天的牛棚練習。

Pardon us if you have heard that, or something close to it, before concerning the "American Idle," who has been sidelined forever with a list of injuries ranging from a balky back to a bruised buttocks to rotator-cuff tendinitis to a torn elbow ligament.
在報導有關這位"American Idle"（從背痛、屁股受傷、旋轉袖肌腱炎一直到手肘韌帶撕裂傷，因為一連串的病痛而躺在傷兵名單中許久的這個傢伙）的消息之前，請原諒我們讓你聽到了這則報導（或者有關他的消息）。

If Pavano is Saturday's starter in Baltimore, he would have to throw a bullpen session today. Because the Yankees New York Yankees ' options include a not-ready-for-the-big-leagues Phil Hughes Phil Hughes and not much else, Pavano is in the mix to start.
假如痛痛人將在星期六先發對上金鶯，那麼他今天就應該進到牛棚練投。因為洋基那天的先發選擇包括了尚未準備好在大聯盟出賽的大帝，以及好不到哪去的痛痛人。

News source：http://www.nypost.com/seven/08202008/sports/yankees/now_its_carls_neck__125194.htm


The trade that hurt both teams
這筆交易似乎對兩隊（洋基和老虎）來說都是個傷害

The Yankees are 3-7 in the games Pudge Rodriguez has started since he came over from the Tigers. He is 8 for 35 (.229) with one RBI. Andy Pettitte threw to him once then asked not to again.
I-ROD從老虎來到洋基先發蹲捕的十場比賽當中，洋基的戰績是三勝七敗。而他在這十場的打擊率為2成29，且只有一分打點。帥派與I-ROD合作過一場之後，就要求不要再與他（I-ROD）搭配了。

The Tigers are 3-4 in the games Kyle Farnsworth has pitched in. Over 7.3 innings, he has allowed 13 hits (three HRs) and six earned runs.
老方到了老虎出賽的七場比賽中，老虎的戰績也只有三勝四敗。在7.3局的投球中，他被敲了13支安打（其中有3發全壘打）並且丟掉了六分自責分。

Obviously it’s a trade that made perfect sense at the time. But it sure hasn’t worked out the way Brian Cashman and Dave Dombrowski thought it would.
在當時，這很顯然是筆相當合理的交易。但是現在看來，交易的結果並沒有達到現金人和Dave Dombrowski的預期。

News source：http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2008/08/20/the-trade-that-hurt-both-teams/