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