[翻譯]Is Moose cooked?

Is Moose cooked?

Mussina looking older and shakier than ever



BY ANTHONY McCARRON

Published : August 23, 2007 / New York Post



Mike Mussina pitched credibly enough for more than two months during the summer, keeping the Yankees in games he started while they straightened out their miserable season. But he's been horrible in consecutive clunkers in his last two outings, getting pounded by playoff contenders.

在過去兩個月中, Mike Mussina是洋基陣中相當可靠的先發投手, 在他主投的比賽中, 他總是可以讓最近表現猶如倒吃甘蔗般的洋基隊保有比賽的優勢。不過在最近兩場面對季後賽門票競逐者的比賽中, 他卻連續兩場被對手擊沈。



Which streak do we believe? Are his struggles against the Tigers and Angels - two losses, 6-2/3 innings, a 17.55 ERA - merely a blip in a long schedule? Or, coupled with some sagging stats for the season, the signal of a significant downward trend in Mussina's consistent, mostly terrific career?

我們究竟應該相信哪一種說法？近兩場面對老虎和天使在僅僅6又2/3局的投球中交出兩敗、防禦率17.55的成績單, 這只不過是小小的不如意？或是結合Mussina在本季其他呈現退化跡象的數據, 我們可以斷定這是他球員生涯開始走下坡的轉捩點？



And if Mussina doesn't fix himself in the next six weeks, the Yankees might face a sticky question, should they reach the postseason: Does Mussina, a veteran they are paying a lot of money, who has a 3.40 ERA in 22 postseason games (21 starts), get a start in the playoffs?

如果Mussina無法在僅剩六週的例行賽賽事中找回自己的狀態, 那麼洋基球團將被迫面對一個棘手的難題 : 假如洋基成功拿到季後賽門票, 他們究竟是否該讓這位領有高薪、在生涯22場季後賽出賽（21場先發）中繳出3.40防禦率成績單的老將繼續待在先發輪值圈中？



A major league scout familiar with Mussina's work said yesterday that velocity "is his problem." Mussina has never been a power pitcher, nor has he needed to throw that hard to win. But his hard stuff was clocked mostly around 86 mph Tuesday night in Anaheim, which the scout says hinders Mussina's arsenal of off-speed and breaking pitches.

一位對Mussina狀況頗為了解的大聯盟球探表示, 球速下降是Moose現階段的大問題。Mussina從來都不是個強力投手, 而他也從來不需要依靠高人一等的球速來為球隊取勝, 不過在週二晚間面對天使的比賽中, 當他的速球球速多半落在時速86英里上下時, 這將讓他賴以為生的變速球和變化球威力被大為削弱。



"You have to have separation," the scout said. "There has to be some change of speeds with the fastball. If the changeup or the breaking balls are too close, they lose their effectiveness."

"各種球路的球速必須要有一定的差距," 這位球探說道, "其他球種和速球的速差有其存在的必要, 如果你的變速球或是變化球球速和直球過於接近時, 他們（變速球和變化球）就會喪失其威脅性。"



The scout also noted the difference in Mussina's starts against good teams and bad ones. Mussina is 2-4 with a 6.65 ERA in eight starts against teams that had winning records entering yesterday's play. Against teams that were below .500 entering yesterday, he was 6-5 with a 4.34 ERA.

這位球探同時也指出Mussina面對強隊和弱隊時的表現判若兩人。截至目前為止, Mussina在今年球季8場面對勝率過半球隊的先發中, 繳出2勝4敗, 防禦率6.65的成績; 面對勝率低於五成的球隊, 則是繳出6勝5敗, 防禦率4.34的成績。



"Which is typical when you start to lose your stuff," the scout said. "You're still smart enough to get the inferior hitters out, but you have problems when you pitch against the better-hitting teams because there are fewer inferior hitters."

"這是一位投手開始喪失其球威的典型跡象, " 那球探指出, "他仍然有著足夠的智慧讓二流打者出局, 不過當他面對打擊表現較為優異的球隊時, 他就有了大麻煩, 因為那些球隊中大多數的打者都相當不好對付。"



Tuesday night, Mussina got only five outs before he was knocked out. He walked the first two batters he faced, the first time he's done that since July 16, 1993, pitching for the Orioles against the Twins. That day, the walks led to a three-run homer by Kent Hrbek, but Mussina somehow hung on to get a win while allowing six runs in six innings.

在週二的比賽中, Mussina僅僅製造了5個出局數就被替換下場。他保送了該場比賽的前兩位打者, 這是1993年7月16日以來的頭一遭（當時仍效力於金鶯隊的他面對的是雙城隊）, 在那天的比賽中, 他的連續保送造就了Kent Hrbek的三分炮, 不過主投6局失去6分的Mussina最終還是拿下了勝投。



He allowed seven runs Tuesday night in 1-2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the year. At one point, Joe Torre said, he noticed that catcher Jose Molina was calling for a breaking pitch away to Vladimir Guerrero and the normally precise Mussina couldn't get it there. The pitch went up and in instead. "It just never looked like he got in a rhythm of any kind," Torre said. "He's such a touch and feel guy, when he can't put it where he wants to, he gets frustrated, and that's what I saw from him."

週二晚間, Mussina在1又2/3局的投球中共計失掉了7分, 這也是他在今年球季中最短命的先發。Joe Torre在比賽中曾注意到, 在面對Vladimir Guerrero時, 捕手Jose Molina配了一個外角變化球, 而控球一向精準的Mussina卻無法完成任務, 他投出了一顆偏高的失投球。

"整場比賽他都沒有真正找到自己的投球節奏, " Torre說道, "他是個非常敏感纖細的投手, 當他沒辦法將球投到他想要的位置時, 他會感到十分挫折, 而這也是為何他會在該場比賽中表現不佳的原因。"



Mussina called his performance "just awful" and "so bad you can't forget it." He ranked it among the five worst of his career.

Mussina認為自己的表現是 "差勁透了...而且表現之差讓自己很難釋懷", 他認為該場比賽可被列入其生涯5場表現最差賽事的名單中。



"I try not to get too caught up in believing things are going to be one way and stay that way for a long time," Mussina added. "This game isn't like that. We all go on hot streaks and we all go on bad streaks. Just because you're going good for awhile doesn't make the bad times any better. I threw well for a couple months and I felt pretty good about it, and in two starts it just disappeared."

"我試圖讓自己不要有'局面已經無法挽回'的負面想法," Mussina補充道, "不過這場比賽完全不是這麼一回事。我們都有高潮或是低潮, 連續幾場比賽表現良好並不代表面對挫折時你會較能欣然接受。過去幾個月我有著穩定的表現, 而我自己也感覺相當自在, 不過僅僅兩場比賽, 就讓之前的好心情全都一掃而空。"



Worse, for the Yankees and for Mussina, is his apparent inability to repair himself. "If I knew what I had to do, you'd think I would've done it," he said. "You ask me to explain it, then I would know how to fix it, and right now I don't. It's just not that easy."

對洋基和Mussina而言, 更糟的是, Mussina似乎無法找到自我調整的有效方法。

"我已經盡我所能去做出調整了," Mussina說道, "你希望我能對目前的狀況做出解釋, 不過我自己實在也毫無頭緒, 事情的發展就是不近人意。"



Both Mussina and Torre said there was nothing physically wrong with the 38-year-old pitcher. "There's nothing I know of physically wrong with him and hopefully there isn't anything wrong," Torre said. Mussina missed three weeks earlier this season with a strained hamstring.

Mussina和Torre都表示, 這位38歲的投手並未感到任何身體上的不適。

"我並未聽說他在身體方面有任何問題, 而我也希望並沒有任何值得我擔心的問題存在," Torre說道。在球季初期, Mussina曾因為腿筋拉傷而休息了三週。



Mussina's ERA was 6.25 on June 2 and he had whittled it down to 4.50 after beating the Indians on Aug. 11. It is currently 5.22; his worst full-season ERA is 4.81, back in 1996 when he won 19 games anyway.

Mussina在今年6月2日時的防禦率一度高達6.25, 不過從當時一直到8月11日面對印第安人拿下勝投為止, 他的防禦率一路降到了4.50。目前他的防禦率是5.22, 其生涯最差表現出現在1996年球季, 但是當年防禦率高達4.81的他還是為球隊拿下了19勝。



Mussina, who is 8-9, has never finished a season as a Yankee with a record below .500, and his worst record in pinstripes is 12-9 in 2004. He was 11-15 for the Orioles in 2000 but was still sixth in the Cy Young voting and signed a six-year, $88.5 million contract with the Yankees that winter. He is in the first year of a two-year, $23 million extension.

目前戰績8勝9敗的Mussina, 在加入洋基之後從未有過以勝少敗多成績作收的球季表現, 效力於紐約期間, 他最差的球季成績是2004年的12勝9敗。儘管在2000年仍效力於金鶯隊時他只繳出了11勝15敗的成績, 但他仍然在當年的Cy Young獎票選中名列第六, 並且在同年冬天為自己贏得一張來自洋基、6年總值8,850萬美金的合約。今年是他2年總值2,300萬的延長合約的第一年。



"I have it get it turned back around again," Mussina said. "Going into September, I can't be throwing the ball like this and not have an idea how to fix it. I've got to fix it soon and keep going in the right direction. I have six or seven games to go, maybe.

"我必須扭轉局勢," Mussina說道, "在即將進入九月的現在, 我不能讓自己表現如此差勁並且還對如何改善現況毫無頭緒, 本季例行賽我大約還有6到7場的先發機會, 我必須盡快找回狀態讓事情回歸正軌。"



"They need to be effective ones."

"接下來的比賽我勢必要完成任務。"