Yanks Just Don’t Have Their Heads in the Game

洋基只是忘了帶他們的腦子上場比賽

Bobby Abreu after being called out by the umpire Brian Runge, left, on a steal attempt of second to end the top of the sixth inning.

By TYLER KEPNER

Published: August 13, 2008

MINNEAPOLIS — The worst part for the Yankees on Wednesday was not so much that they lost again. Losing happens almost every day. It was the way they lost that was most disturbing.
對於洋基來說，星期三再一次的輸掉比賽並非是最糟的事，因為這（輸球）幾乎是天天在發生的事。最讓人困擾的是他們輸球的方式。

The Yankees came to the end of a three-city stumble with a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins that was filled with mental mistakes. They lost 7 of 10 on the trip and are showing no signs they will seriously compete for a playoff spot.
洋基以4比2輸給了雙城，結束了這一系列跌跌撞撞的客場之旅，而在這場比賽當中也顯現出洋基犯了許多心態上的毛病。他們在最近十場的客場比賽當中輸了七場，而且也看不出他們有認真的想為進季後賽打拼的跡象。

“It’s a frustrating loss, a frustrating road trip,” Johnny Damon said. “We do need to get better. It’s getting pretty late for us.”

「輸了比賽令人感到沮喪，這一系列的客場之旅讓人感到挫敗。」大門說。「我們真的需要表現的更好一些，只是這似乎來的太晚了。」

The Yankees played without shortstop Derek Jeter, who is out with a bruised left foot. He promised to play on Friday, and he cannot return soon enough.
擦傷左腳的游擊手Jeter也無法在這場比賽當中上場，雖然他保證在星期五的比賽可以上場，但是可能沒有辦法這麼快就回到游擊的位置上。

With Wilson Betemit at shortstop, Robinson Canó at second base and Melky Cabrera in center field, the Yankees’ defense up the middle was painfully erratic. Several miscommunications bothered Manager Joe Girardi.
由Betemit防守游擊，Cano鎮守二壘以及牛奶弟看管中外野，洋基的守備出現了許多莫名其妙的失誤，這些守備上溝通不良的情形也讓總教練感到困擾。

“I don’t understand it,” Girardi said. “We’ve been playing way too long to have that happen. It’s something that shouldn’t happen. It’s inexcusable. Those guys have played together long enough, they understand what they need to do. Sometimes it’s just trying to do too much, and you can’t. You have to be able to relax and play.”

「我搞不懂，我們已經在一起打球這麼久了，根本不可能會發生這樣的事情。這是根本不該發生的事，令人無法諒解。這些球員已經在一起打的夠久了，他們都了解什麼是他們應該要做的。有時候太想要去表現反而卻搞砸了。你必須要學會放鬆心情去打球。」老吉這麼說。

Fittingly, a trip that started with a shoulder injury to a rookie pitcher ended the same way. On Aug. 4 in Texas, Joba Chamberlain went down. On Wednesday, it was reliever Dan Giese. He left after three hitters with a stiff shoulder.

很不巧的，這一趟客場之旅以菜鳥投手的肩膀受傷開始，同樣也是這樣的結果結束。在8月4號，喬巴面對德州遊騎兵的時候陣亡了，昨天這樣的遭遇也發生在中繼投手Dan Giese的身上。他在投了三個人次之後感覺到自己的肩膀有些僵硬。

As he usually does, Girardi tried to play down the injury, telling reporters, “He’s O.K., just a little stiff.” He added that Giese would need no medical exams, only treatment, and would probably be ready for bullpen work by Saturday.

老吉一如往常的試著將球員傷病的情形低調處理，他告訴記者：「他（Dan Giese）很好，只是肩膀感覺有點僵硬而已。」老吉也表示， Dan Giese不需要任何的醫療檢查，只需要簡單的治療，而且可能在星期六之前就可以回到牛棚。

Giese told a different story, and a media relations representative soon confirmed that he will see a doctor on Thursday.

然而 Dan Giese卻有不一樣的說法，一位媒體相關人員證實了Dan Giese將會在星期四的時候去看醫生。

“Once the first batter got in there, I definitely didn’t feel good, and I started overthrowing,” Giese said. “That’s when it started to stiffen up on me. It’s like if you get a tetanus shot and there’s that ache real deep in there. It feels like somebody punched you in the shoulder. I couldn’t get extension on any of my pitches.”

「當第一位打者站進打擊區時，我很明顯的感覺到不舒服，但我還是繼續投球，」Giese說，「那時候我就漸漸開始感覺到僵硬了，那種感覺就像是被打了一針破傷風一樣，那是一種很深層的疼痛感，就像有人在你的肩膀上重擊了一拳，讓我無法伸展手臂進行投球。」

Giese was working in relief of Darrell Rasner, who did what he usually does: work five innings and give the team a chance to win.

Giese接替Darrell Rasner上場中繼，Darrell Rasner如同往常的表現：只上了五局的班，然後給了球隊贏球的機會。

Double plays helped Rasner in the second and the third, but his defense let him down in the fourth. After a leadoff walk to Joe Mauer, Rasner got Justin Morneau to ground to third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who whipped a throw to second.

在第二局和第三局的雙殺打幫了Darrell Rasner的大忙，但是他自己在第四局的投球卻讓他陷入了麻煩。在保送了首位打者揪貓耳之後，Rasner成功的讓Justin Morneau擊出了三壘方向的滾地球，三壘手阿肉將球傳向了二壘。

Canó caught the ball, but he came off the bag and was charged with an error. Girardi absolved Canó, saying the runner would have been safe either way and that Rodriguez should have thrown to first.

Canó接到球之後，球卻從手套中掉了出來，這樣讓Canó被記了一次失誤。老吉則是出面替Canó緩頰，他說即使球沒有掉出來，跑者也可能是安全上壘，阿肉應該將球傳向一壘的。

“The umpire said he beat the throw, not that I was off the bag,” Canó said.

「裁判說他是根據傳球來做判斷的，並不是因為我掉球。」Canó說。

With one out, Delmon Young delivered the only damaging hit off Rasner. A day after swatting an opposite-field, three-run homer off Mariano Rivera, Young did the same off a cutter from Rasner to give the Twins a 3-1 lead.

一人出局之後，Delmon Young給了Rasner唯一致命的一擊。在昨天送給了MO一支反方向的三分全壘打之後，Young今天照樣將Rasner的cutter掃出了牆外，幫助雙城取得了3比1的領先。

“I left it up a little bit and he got a good swing on it and hit it to the right part of the ballpark,” Rasner said. “It was up, and I think that was the trouble. If it was down, I think it’s a different story.”

「我知道那球稍微高了一點，而他（Delmon Young）也打的很好，將球打出右外野的牆外。」Rasner說，「球高起來了，我認為這是問題所在。如果球低一點，我想又會是不一樣的結局。」

The Twins needed only those runs to win, but miscues in the later innings irked Girardi. In the sixth, Damon threw to second instead of third on a fly out because Betemit did not tell him the runner at second was tagging up.

這三分已經足夠讓雙城贏球了，但是洋基稍後的失誤讓老吉感到厭煩。第六局時，大門將接殺的高飛球傳向了二壘而不是三壘，因為Betemit沒有告訴他跑者已經準備要起跑了。

In the seventh, Nick Punto blooped a single off the glove of a charging Cabrera. It was Canó’s ball, and he signaled for it, but he backed off when Cabrera called him off.

第七局時，Nick Punto擊出了高飛球，卻因牛奶弟沒有接到球而形成了安打。那本來是Canó的球，Canó也做出指示說他要來接，但是他卻在牛奶弟叫他走開的時候退開了。

In the eighth, Mauer stole second when Canó and Betemit both converged on the base; the throw got away and nicked Betemit on the leg. It was another puzzling defensive performance by Betemit, who played first base in Anaheim last Sunday and failed to react to a ground ball single that lost the game.

第八局，揪貓耳盜上二壘，因為Canó和Betemit兩個人都同時進到二壘補位，捕手的傳球偏了，最後牽制到了Betemit的腿上。這又是另一個Betemit令人感到莫名其妙的防守表現，當他上星期六面對天使隊時，擔任一壘手，卻因為他無法順利接捕一個滾地球而讓它形成了一壘安打，最終也導致洋基輸球的命運。

“This club hasn’t made a lot of mental mistakes,” Girardi said. “Today there were a couple. I don’t know if it’s because Derek’s not out there; it’s still no excuse. All the things that happened today were in the middle. Different shortstop.”

「洋基從來不曾發生過這麼多莫名其妙的失誤，今天卻發生了一拖拉庫。我不曉得這是不是因為Jeter不在的關係，但這不是藉口。今天發生的所有失誤都是在中間方向，而不是在游擊區。」

It was a different shortstop, but a typical result: another loss for the Yankees, and another day gone in a season that is quickly getting shorter.

雖然是不一樣的游擊手，但卻是同樣的結果：洋基的另一場敗仗，隨著越來越短的球季，另一天又這樣過去了。

INSIDE PITCH

Manager Joe Girardi said starters Phil Hughes and Carl Pavano would make at least one more start before returning to the Yankees, though conceivably that could change because of Dan Giese’s shoulder injury. For now, Hughes is scheduled to throw 100 pitches for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, when Pavano is expected to start again for Class AA Trenton. ...Hideki Matsui (knee) is scheduled to start a rehabilitation assignment Thursday in Tampa, Fla. ... The deadline for signing amateur draft picks is Friday, and the Yankees still have not come to terms with their first two choices, pitchers Gerrit Cole and Jeremy Bleich, who are represented by Scott Boras. Cole has a U.C.L.A. scholarship as leverage and Bleich could return to Stanford for his senior year.

總教練老吉曾說，大帝和痛痛人在歸隊之前，至少都還會在小聯盟先發一次以上，但是現在隨著Dan Giese肩膀的受傷，情況可能會有些許的改變。

到目前為止，大帝表訂要在星期天3A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre的比賽當中先發；痛痛人則是預計要在2A先發投球。

大松井因為膝蓋的傷勢，預計星期四在Tampa進行復建。

業餘球員選秀的簽約期限是星期五，洋基目前仍然還沒有與他們的頭兩號選擇達成協議，這兩個投手（Gerrit Cole和Jeremy Bleich）的經紀人都是吸血鬼Bora$。Cole已經得到了U.C.L.A.的獎學金，而Bleich可能會回到Stanford繼續完成他大四的學業。

News source：http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/sports/baseball/14yankees.html?ref=baseball