推 intron:「平均值顯示 A-Rod 在下半季應該會表現突出以彌補」，單純 07/14 09:55
→ intron:只是要講這句的邏輯。什麼話，這其實只是把「之前表現不好 07/14 09:55
→ intron:」再說一次而已。 07/14 09:56
推 weinine32:多謝分享 07/14 10:36
Who will prevail ... Red Sox or Yankees?
洋基與紅襪，誰能出線？
http://tinyurl.com/nv48n
ESPN.com
The Matchup:
The Red Sox against the Yankees
對決：
基襪
The Question:
With only one team likely to advance to the postseason from the AL East,
will the Red Sox or Yankees be the one standing when October arrives?
問題：
東區很有可能只有一隊能進入季後賽，十月後會是洋基或是紅襪？
By Bob Klapisch
Special to ESPN.com
Trailing the Red Sox by three games at the halfway mark, the Yankees admit this
isn't quite the free ride to the playoffs they'd envisioned in spring training.
季中落後紅襪三場的洋基承認這並不是他們在春訓時想像能進入季後賽的情景。
Everyone's hurt, it seems. Randy Johnson looks alternately untouchable and
geriatric. Alex Rodriguez has thought/stressed/panicked his way to a .174
average in situations considered close and late.
似乎大家都受傷。藍迪強森時好時壞。A-Rod在緊要關頭發揮不理想。
Meanwhile, the White Sox and Tigers will apparently hog the wild-card spot.
白襪跟老虎明顯會奪走外卡。
That means the Yankees will likely have to catch the Red Sox to avoid being
shut out of the postseason for the first time since 1993.
所以洋基只能擠掉紅襪避免從1993年以來第一次與季後賽擦身而過。
Can they? GM Brian Cashman says the worst is over for the Bombers.
他們能辦到嗎？Cashman說最糟的已經過去了。
"For all the things that have gone against us," he said, "we're still right
there."
「儘管困難重重，我們熬過來了。」
Here are five reasons Cashman is right, and why, after a grueling fight, the
Yankees will be the ones who'll make it to the promised land in October.
1. Starting pitching
Despite Johnson's descent to the No. 3 spot in the rotation, the Sox have yet
to capitalize on the superior talents of Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett.
Not only have the Sox's top pitchers been matched by Mike Mussina and Chien-
Ming Wang, they've actually been outperformed.
紅襪的優秀先發群被與穆西納與小王比較。
Mussina, the undisputed Yankees ace, has a lower ERA and lower opponents'
batting average than Schilling. And Wang's ERA is three-quarters of a run below
Beckett's.
穆帥的防禦率優於席林，小王的也比Beckett低。
Mussina and Wang have been better in head-to-head to competition against the
Sox, as well. Together, they've beaten the Red Sox in three out of four
decisions with a 5.28 ERA. Schilling and Beckett are 3-2 with a 5.93 ERA
against the Yankees -- and it's worth noting the Bombers are batting .351
against Beckett.
洋基打者對Beckett的打擊率是三成五一。
What does this mean after the All-Star break? The Yankees no longer have any
hang-ups about facing Beckett, which is no small psychological burden to over-
come, considering he shut them out in Game 6 of the 2003 World Series.
And while Schilling is obviously capable of beating the Yankees at any time,
the Bombers now feel Mussina is just as likely to match him on even his best
days.
2. Randy Johnson
Not even the Big Unit pretends his old stuff is coming back; at 42, the left-
hander has made his peace with a diminished fastball and inconsistent slider.
That may have been the key to a surge in the last month, when he allowed three
runs or less in four of his last five starts.
巨怪速球下降，滑球不穩。
While the double-digit strikeout performances are history, the Unit is once
again controlling the inside corner with at least a respectable slider. The
Unit's apparent rebirth is critical to the Yankees' chances, especially if
they're unable to make a deal for another pitcher before the end of the month.
他的表現對洋基至關重要，特別現在他們無法找到可取代的先發。
Already, Shawn Chacon, last year's secret weapon, has run out of magic. That'll
put extra pressure on Johnson to stay hot. But it was significant that the
left-hander rebounded from a dreadful appearance against the Mets on national
television -- he allowed eight runs in six innings -- by limiting the Indians
to just three earned runs in 7 2/3 innings in his very next appearance.
3. Alex Rodriguez
He's been folded, spindled and mutilated beyond recognition, and sometimes,
rightfully so. But the law of averages says A-Rod can't possibly be this awful
(8-for-46 with one home run) in close and late situations for the rest of the
year.
平均值顯示A-Rod在下半季應該會表現突出以彌補。
Doesn't someone who's otherwise batting .309 with runners in scoring position
have to eventually display grace under pressure? Logically, yes. The proba-
bility is good. Even if A-Rod becomes only a moderate threat when it counts --
say, a .250 average -- he could account for an additional 3-4 Yankees wins in
the second half.
It's possible Rodriguez was rescued from his own demons with that grand slam
against the Mets on July 2. Granted, it wasn't late (only the third inning) but
A-Rod made sure it was dramatic -- enough to draw the ire of Mets catcher Paul
Lo Duca.
Words were exchanged at home plate after Rodriguez finished circling the bases
(and according to Lo Duca, hamming it up for his Yankees teammates). A-Rod,
however, was unapologetic after the game.
"I couldn't hear what [Lo Duca] was saying, but I have a pretty good idea,"
Rodriguez said. "But you know what, it's been a rough 45 days, so I was going
to enjoy [the grand slam]."
4. Momentum
Despite losing to the Devil Rays on Sunday, the Yankees went into the break as
one of the hottest teams in baseball, winning five of their last six series to
post a 12-6 mark entering the break.
Every day they keep the Sox from running away brings the Bombers closer to the
end of the injury nightmare, which has so far cost them Gary Sheffield, Hideki
Matsui, Robinson Cano and, most recently, Johnny Damon.
Damon and Cano will be back by next week, if not sooner. Matsui could return in
mid- to late August. And Sheffield is promising his fractured wrist will be
healed by early September.
Of course, it's still possible the race could be over by then, but the Yankees
now believe that if Boston was going to bury them, it would've happened by now.
As Cashman said, "We want the Red Sox to think, 'We've been this hot and we
couldn't put [the Yankees] away.'"
All the Yankees are hoping for is to still be close in September when they
finally have all their firepower. If they are, the confidence from having
survived the summer-long crisis could be the deciding factor in the East.
5. Joe Torre
When the season is in its 11th hour, the intangibles count for everything.
Torre gives his players that impenetrable sense of calm and well-being, one
that was instrumental in the Yankees' winning 10 of their last 14 games in 2005
, allowing them to catch the Sox in the final weekend.
Torre's methods aren't perfect -- the Yankees haven't won a world championship
in five years -- but after eight straight division titles, the prevailing
feeling in Torre's clubhouse is all about dominating the Sox: In a close race,
the Yankees still have the upper hand.
Bob Klapisch is a sports columnist for The Record (N.J.) and a regular
contributor to ESPN.com.
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