What happened to the Nationals? 國民怎麼啦?
By: Mark Zuckerman August 20
縮網址:https://s.yam.com/ZyqcX
原文網址:http://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2018/08/what-happened-to-
the-nationals.html
這篇是20號國民隨隊記者寫的，當時還沒有放棄，他整理了2018國民的一些問題
有些翻譯我是用意義翻， 如果翻錯意思還請多多指教
It’s the most pervasive question in Washington this summer, at least in the
realm of sports: What happened to the Nationals?
The answer isn’t nearly as simple as many would like.
If only there was one concrete reason for the Nationals’ slow descent from
division favorites to a sub-.500 club trying to hang on for dear life. But
the truth is, a combination of things had to come together this season to
create this mess. Alter any one of them, and the story of the 2018 Nats might
be totally different.
On this off-day, with a last-ditch series against the Phillies set to begin
Tuesday, let’s run through all the reasons and try to make sense of a season
that hasn’t made much sense at all. These are not presented in order of
significance.
這是華盛頓今年夏天最普遍的問題，至少在運動領域： 國民隊發生了什麼？
答案並不像許多人想的那麼簡單。
如果有個具體原因解釋國民掉到低於五成勝率就好了，但事實是，今年賽季的困境是各種
事情搞在一起。改變任何一個，2018年國民的劇情可能完全不同。
在這個休息日，週二將開始對陣費城人隊的系列賽，讓我們來了解所有原因，並嘗試理解
這一個已經沒多大意義的賽季。這些原因並不是用重要度來排。
INJURIES
Yes, every team deals with injuries, but the Nationals legitimately have
dealt with more than most. According to rosterresource.com, the Nats have had
25 separate disabled list stints this season, and their 10.10 “roster effect
rating” ranks third in the majors, behind only the Angels and Mets.
Here’s the key: The injuries have consumed certain parts of the roster at
the same time, severely depleting those units. The lineup was decimated early
on without Daniel Murphy, Adam Eaton, Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick and Matt
Wieters. The rotation became a shell of itself when both Stephen Strasburg
and Jeremy Hellickson went on the DL in early June. And now the bullpen is a
mess with Sean Doolittle, Kelvin Herrera and Ryan Madson all out at the same
time.
Yes, the 2017 Nationals dealt with a lot of injuries as well (they rated
fifth in the majors in roster effect rating). But those injuries were more
spread out among positions and didn’t quite test the club’s depth to the
same dramatic extent.
傷兵
根據rosterresource.com，國民本賽季有25個人躺過DL名單，他們的10.10 “roster
effect rating”(陣容影響率)在大聯盟中排名第三，只落後於天使和大都會。
https://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-disabled-list-tracker/
關鍵在於：這些病痛同一時間襲來消耗了陣容。在沒有Daniel Murphy ， Adam Eaton ，
Ryan Zimmerman ， Howie Kendrick和Matt Wieters的情況下，打線很快就崩解了 。當
Stephen Strasburg和Jeremy Hellickson都在6月初的時候去了DL，先發輪值成了空殼。
然後現在則是崩壞牛棚的Sean Doolittle ， Kelvin Herrera和Ryan Madson全都都幫不
上忙。
是的，2017年時國民隊也在處理這些問題(他們在陣容影響率排名第五)。但是這些傷病多
是分散的，並沒有對球隊的深度有很大的考驗。
LACK OF ROTATION DEPTH
This felt like a problem area going all the way back to spring training. And
sure enough, it has proven to be a significant problem. The Nationals opened
the season with A.J. Cole as their fifth starter, then designated him for
assignment after Hellickson joined the rotation in mid-April. Erick Fedde was
going to be the sixth man waiting at Triple-A if needed, but he has made only
six starts and has spent the last seven weeks on the DL with a shoulder
injury.
So the Nats have been left to give 10 starts to Jefry Rodriguez, Tommy Milone
and Austin Voth, who collectively have a 6.07 ERA. The issue has become only
more significant, as Strasburg has missed the better part of 2 1/2 months
with shoulder and neck injuries and Gio Gonzalez has gone 1-8 with a 7.07 ERA
over his last 13 starts.
The biggest shame of all? Edwin Jackson, who opened the season in Syracuse
but opted out of his contract on June 1 (days before Strasburg and Hellickson
got hurt), now has a 2.58 ERA in 10 starts for the blazing-hot Athletics.
缺乏先發輪值深度
從今年春訓，這像是個問題，現在也被證明是個極大問題。國民隊用了A.J. Cole做為開
季的五號先發投手，卻在Hellickson加入了4月中旬輪換陣容後DFA了他。如果需要的話，
Erick Fedde將成為放在3A做為備胎，但是他卻只有先發6次就因肩部受傷而在DL上度過
最近7禮拜。
所以後來國民也給了Jefry Rodriguez ， Tommy Milone和Austin Voth 10次;先發機會，
他們一共貢獻出6.07的ERA。隨者Strasburg肩頸受傷而錯過了2個半月，加上
過去的13場比賽中，Gio Gonzalez繳出1勝8敗 7.07的ERA的成績，種種因素讓先發問題變
得更加嚴重。。
最丟臉的是什麼呢? Edwin Jackson，他開季在國民3A，但在6月1日選擇跳脫合約(在
Strasburg 和Hellickson受傷之前)，現在在火熱的運動家並且10場先發繳出ERA2.58。
THE CATCHING PROBLEM
Yes, here’s another area that everyone knew was a problem last winter but
wasn’t adequately addressed before opening day. The Nationals had the majors
’ least-productive catchers in 2017. Wieters, who was under contract for
$10.5 million, wasn’t going to be dropped. But the hope was that he would
have a solid No. 2 to help out and potentially take over as the No. 1, if
merited.
The problem: Miguel Montero was signed shortly before spring training, then
was dumped only a week in after going 0-for-11 at the plate. Pedro Severino,
the organization’s longstanding hope for catcher of the future, was abysmal,
hitting .171 with a .510 OPS over 203 plate appearances, and was sent back to
Syracuse. Spencer Kieboom, the 27-year-old rookie, has done his best to help
out Wieters, but while he has done a nice job behind the plate, he’s
severely lacking at the plate.
Wieters, to be fair, has turned it around of late and is batting .375 over
his last 11 games. But over the big picture, the Nationals still have the
least productive catchers in baseball for the second straight season.
捕手問題
是的，這是另一個部分，去年冬天每個人都知道這個問題，但在開季前沒有充分解決。
2017年，國民隊擁有大聯盟中最沒貢獻的捕手。Wieters還在1050萬美元的合約中，並未
被放棄。但對他期望是能當個穩定的二號，如果能的話甚至找回一號捕手潛力。
Pedro Severino ，國民隊希望的捕手長期解，打得非常糟糕，203個打數中打擊率.171
OPS .510，並被送回Syracuse(國民3A). Synns Kieboom，這位27歲的新秀，已盡全力幫
助Wiessers，但雖然他在本壘後的工作做得很好，但是他缺乏火力。
平心而論，Wieters正在好轉，並在過去的11場比賽中打擊率.375。但總的來說，國民隊
已經連續二個賽季在捕手這位子上沒貢獻度。
LACK OF EXPERIENCED LEFTIES
The Nationals opened the season with four left-handers in their bullpen. That
should be a sign of strength, but it wasn’t. Doolittle wasn’t a problem; he
was one of the best closers in the majors before injuring his foot in July.
But the club’s three other southpaws (Sammy Solís, Matt Grace, Enny Romero)
didn’t have much track record and didn’t perform well when called upon to
get big outs late.
Grace has shown himself to be the most effective of the group, though more as
a full-inning or even long reliever than as a matchup lefty. Solís continues
to aggravate with his struggles in big spots and just earned his second
demotion of the summer. Romero had a great arm, but was dumped after only two
appearances and has now pitched for the Pirates and Royals this season, as
well.
Tim Collins has done better when given a chance, but the Nationals’ lack of
a lockdown lefty (a position that doesn’t usually cost much) has proven to
be a major problem all season.
缺乏有經驗的左手牛
國民開季有4個左投手在牛棚，這應該是一個強力牛棚的象徵，但不是。Doolittle 很好
，他是7月受傷前是聯盟最強的終結者之一。但球隊的另外三個左撇子((Sammy Solís,
Matt Grace, Enny Romero)並沒有太多的比賽功勞，並且在關鍵的後段局數表現不佳。
Grace 已經證明自己是球隊中最有效的球員，但他更像是一般牛或是長救援而不是針對強
力左打的左牛。Solís 繼續掙扎，並且剛得到今年的第二次下放。Romero 有一個很好的
手臂，但僅在兩次出場後被丟了，然後現在為海盜和皇家隊效力。
國民隊缺乏牛棚左牛(這位置不用花什麼錢)已被證明成為整個賽季的問題。
A ROOKIE MANAGER AND NEW COACHING STAFF
Yes, Davey Martinez has to be included in any discussion of what has gone
wrong this season. Some will argue he’s the No. 1 reason for the Nats’
struggles. The take here is that’s not a fair assessment. No manager (even
Dusty Baker) could overcome all the aforementioned issues and run away with
the division this year. Also, Martinez genuinely seems to be liked and
respected by the vast majority of the clubhouse.
That said, has the rookie skipper made some rookie mistakes? Yes. His bullpen
management has left something to be desired. (Though, to be fair, there are
very few managers truly effective in this department.) His ever-changing
lineup combos haven’t helped that group find some needed stability.
Any discussion of the manager, though, also has to include his coaching
staff. Remember, the Nationals didn’t just fire Baker, they fired the entire
staff except for third base coach Bob Henley. The Mike Maddux-Derek
Lilliquist swap seems to have had a negative effect, with few pitchers ever
even mentioning their position coach when discussing matters positive or
negative. (Maddux’s name used to come up all the time.) Hitting coach Kevin
Long gets more positive reviews from his players, and the resurgence of the
lineup now that that group is healthy has taken some heat off Long. But
defense and baserunning remain problem areas for this team, and the coaching
staff almost always deserves some of the blame when that happens.
菜鳥教頭和新教練團
是的，如果有任何今年打這麼糟的討論一定要提Davey Martinez.有人認為它是造成國民
今年困境的第一元兇。但這評論並不公平，沒有任何總教練（即使是 Dusty Baker）能克
服前述的問題。而且，Martinez 受到了球隊絕大多數人的喜愛和尊重。
那是不是說 菜鳥船長犯了低級錯誤。是的，他的牛棚管理還有一些不足之處(雖然，這邊
很少總教練會有正確牛棚使用說明書)。他不斷變化的打序組合也沒有幫助團隊找到穩定
性。
任何與總教練相關的討論也必須包含他身後教練團。要記得，國民隊並不只是解僱Baker
，而是除了三壘教練Bob Henley之外，他們解雇了整個教練團。Mike Maddux-Derek
Lilliquist互換似乎產生了負面影響，很少有投手在討論積極或消極的事情時還提及他們
的投手教練。 （Maddux的名字過去常常出現。）打擊教練Kevin Long從他的球員那裡獲
得了積極的評價，但現在團隊缺少熱情。 防守和跑壘仍然是這支球隊的問題所在，錯誤
發生時教練團應該受到指責。
THE MUCH-IMPROVED BRAVES AND PHILLIES
One reason the 2017 Nationals were able to run away with the National League
East despite injuries to their lineup and ineffectiveness of their bullpen in
the first half was the simple fact no one else in the division was ready to
challenge them. The Mets once again were hoping for the impossible: a healthy
rotation and lineup despite all kinds of injury histories. The Braves and
Phillies weren’t ready to contend yet. The Marlins were ... well, the
Marlins.
That’s not the case this season. Atlanta and Philadelphia each entered the
season with reason to believe improvement was coming. Consensus opinion was
that both teams were probably another year away (moreso in the Braves’ case)
but it turns out both teams were ready to win now.
進步很多的勇士和費城人
儘管陣容受傷以及上半季他們的牛棚效率低下，2017年國民隊能夠在國聯東區拉開的原因
，就是沒有其他人挑戰他們。勇士隊和費城人隊還沒準備好。大都會隊無視各式各樣的傷
病史，又一次夢想著不可能的事情：健康的輪換和陣容。馬林魚隊......好吧，馬林魚隊。
而今年賽季不同於去年。勇士隊和費城人隊伴隨著自信心開季，雖然大家認為兩支球隊可
能還要等一年，但事實證明兩支球隊都準備好現在要贏了。
And so here we are on Aug. 20, and it’s the Braves and Phillies sitting atop
the division, preparing to engage in a compelling pennant race with each
other, while the Nationals are stuck seven games back, hoping they haven’t
run out of time to thrust themselves back into the mix.
所以我們在8月20日這時，看著勇士隊和費城人隊坐在分區龍頭，準備參加季後賽，而國
民隊則落後了7場，希望他們仍有時間追上。