[MLB]Wang solid in return

[heartfree (讓心自由)]

           Wang solid in return
            Right-hander shakes off rust in first start in two months
           By Ben Couch / MLB.com 09/09/2005 12:50 AM ET

    NEW YORK -- Before Thursday's game, Yankees manager Joe Torre predicted
that sharpness would determine the success of Chien-Ming Wang's first start
since July 8. But Torre was careful to note that if Wang wasn't sharp early,
the pitcher was likely to adjust until he found success.

    Despite allowing two early runs and picking up the loss, Wang proved
Torre sage by producing a solid outing, allowing the Devil Rays eight hits
and three runs in five innings.

    "I thought he did a good job," Torre said. "In the first inning, there
were a couple of balls hit hard off him, but after that, even in the inning
they scored, it was a broken-bat base hit that scored the run. I thought his
command was pretty good for the first time."

    Wang said he struggled with his location in the first inning, throwing
too many balls over the middle of the plate. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre
said Wang's pitches also were high, and that the rookie's breaking ball
wasn't as sharp as it had been before the injury.

    The Devil Rays took advantage, opening the game with three straight hits,
and four by the first five batters. Julio Lugo led off with a single, but he
was caught attempting to steal second base by Jorge Posada. Carl Crawford and
Jorge Cantu hit back-to-back doubles to put the first run on the board before
Aubrey Huff grounded out to second. Jonny Gomes followed, and he drove in the
second run with a single to left, but Travis Lee flew out to center to end
the inning.

    Wang settled in after that, escaping trouble in the second and third by
inducing ground ball outs. A two-base error by Hideki Matsui in the fourth
left a runner on second with one out, but Wang used his two-seam fastball
to record back-to-back strikeouts of Alex Gonzalez and Joey Gathright. Those
were Wang's only strikeouts in the game.

    The Rays cobbled together a run in the fifth when Crawford singled,
advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Gomes' broken-bat single.
The Yankees were encouraged by Wang's performance during his final four
innings.

    "Overall, he threw well," Stottlemyre said. "We couldn't ask for too much
more than what he did. We wanted him to go 80 pitches, and that's what he had
through five. He felt good and wanted to continue, but we've still got to
protect him a little bit."

    Stottlemyre's cautious outlook is understandable considering the injury
woes that have befallen Yankees starters this season. New York has sent 14
starters to the mound, from proven stars like Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson
to journeymen like Darrell May and Tim Redding.

    Wang's sudden case of right shoulder inflammation, which Torre said
surprised him when it was announced in July, forced the Yankees to further
scramble to assemble a five-man rotation. Al Leiter was signed to fill in
shortly after his release by the Marlins, and he was soon followed by Aaron
Small. But Wang's return and Leiter's recent struggles have bumped Leiter
into the bullpen.

    The Yankees are counting on Wang to be a key contributor down the stretch,
but they know that he'll have to ease into the role after enduring such a
long layoff.

    "It's from start to start," Stottlemyre said. "I expect his command to
get better, and as that gets better, then better results [will come]."


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→ zkow:高手翻印一下...感恩...
推 timohu:總之  教練團對今天表現還算滿意XD
推 ZzzBa:原本就有80球限制阿,難怪
推 newstyle:畢竟是傷後復出..慢慢來吧
推 cutea:如果再投個兩局說不定第七勝就入袋了 XD
→ cutea:為了季後賽 還是慢慢來吧~明年再拼廿勝!