Boston Red Sox: Why Clay Buchholz Can Continue His Outstanding Production http://0rz.tw/BCOws by Andrew Martin Boston Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz has jumped out to arguably the best start of any pitcher in baseball this season. While it is unlikely he will keep up his current torrid pace, signs indicate that he can continue contributing outstanding production. 现在八扣子可以说是本季以来表现最好的投手。虽然他不太可能一直维持这种高档表现， 但是迹象显示他还是能提供很棒的表现。 The 28-year-old right-hander is off to the finest start of his career, having posted a 5-0 record and 1.19 ERA in his first five starts. In 37.2 innings, he has allowed just 25 hits, while striking out 39 and walking 13. Additionally, he has gone at least seven innings in each of his starts, while giving up two or fewer runs each time. 目前5-0、1.19 ERA、37.2 IP (5GS)只被打25支安打，39次三振、13次保送─是他生涯最 棒的开季。而且他在五场比赛中都投超过七局，每一场的失分都不超过两分。 Pitching in his seventh major league season, he is 51-32 with a 3.77 ERA in 112 career games (110 starts), but has struggled with health and inconsistency. The only two seasons he had as many as 16 starts in his previous six years in Boston came in 2010 (28 starts) and 2012 (29 starts). 八扣子在大联盟的七季一共缴出51-32、3.77 ERA(112G、110GS)，但长期受伤并与稳定性 不足所苦。他在红袜的近六个球季中只有两次单季先发场次超过16场，分别是2010年(28 场)和2012年(29场)。 The Providence Journal’s Tim Britton explained in a couple of tweets why what Buchholz is doing this year has been both rare and historic: Tim Britton指出八扣子今年的表现有多麽特别： Clay Buchholz is the first MLB starter in 11 years to go at least seven innings with 2ER or fewer in his first five starts of the season. 八扣子是大联盟近11年以来首位开季五场先发都超过七局并不超过2 ER的投手。 Buchholz done. He's the first Red Sox starter to go at least seven in his first five starts since Pedro in 2000. 上次开季五场先发都超过七局的红袜投手是Pedro Martinez (2000)。 Few pitchers have or ever will match Martinez’s production with the Red Sox (117-37, 2.52 ERA in seven seasons). However, Buchholz has become a very solid starter and there are a number of reasons suggesting why he will continue building upon his outstanding start to the 2013 season. 很少人能追上Pedro (117-37, 2.52 ERA in seven seasons)。不过八扣子是不错的先发 投手，也有一些数据显示他能继续拿出好表现。 With a caveat that five games is a small sample size, FanGraphs.com’s data suggests that Buchholz may have harnessed his stuff and matured into a better pitcher. 五场比赛只是小样本，不过FanGraphs.com显示八扣子成功的运用他的stuff，成为一位更 棒的投手。 His average fastball velocity of 91.6 mph is the lowest of his career. Despite the loss of speed, his vFA/C (Fastball Runs Above Average per 100 pitches) of 0.97 is his highest since 2010 when it was 1.14. In addition, his Runs Above Average per 100 pitches value on his cutter (4.04), curveball (2.28) and changeup (2.31) are the highest of his career. 他的直球均速是生涯最低的91.6mph，但是他的wFA/C(Fastball Runs Above Average per 100 pitches，每一百球省下的分数，评断该球种之价值)是1.20(有更新了)，2010年是 1.14。其他球种也都是生涯最棒，cutter (4.04), curveball (2.28)和changeup (2.31)。 His 9.3 strikeouts, 6.0 hits and 0.2 home runs allowed per nine innings represent career bests, while he has surpassed the 3.0 walks he has allowed per nine innings this year just once before. 他的每九局6.3K、6H、0,2HR也都是生涯最高，3.0次保送是第二好(只比去年高)。 Combining those statistics with his pitch values and the fact he has no significant changes in how frequently he has thrown his various pitches provides solid proof he is commanding his stuff better than ever. 而数据同时显示他的球种比例并无大幅改变，这证明了他的控球有进步。 The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo reported that Boston manager John Farrell and pitching coach Juan Nieves mandated Red Sox pitchers, especially Buchholz, pick up the pace between pitches this season. This was to not only to keep hitters off-balance, but to also prevent the pitchers from thinking too much. 据Nick Cafardo表示，John Farrell和Juan Nieves要求投手─尤其是八扣子─要让每次 投球之间的间隔缩短。除了让打者适应不过来外，还能避免投手想太多。 It appears Buchholz has succeeded in adopting that approach. FanGraphs.com shows that he is averaging 23.3 seconds between pitches, which is the best mark of his career and nearly two and a half seconds better than last year’s mark of 25.6. 显然八扣子已经适应了这个调整。FanGraphs.com显示他今年的投球间隔只有23.3秒，是 生涯最短─比去年的25.6秒少了整整2.3秒。 Looking at his BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play) counters any argument that his success has been due to luck. The .264 average he’s allowed this year is right in line with his career mark of .281. It is also nearly identical to the .261 he permitted in 2010, when he had his best season as a major leaguer, going 17-7 with a 2.33 ERA. 有些人说这只是运气好，但是他的BABIP并不是这麽说的。本季.264、生涯平均是不远的 .281，2010年更是相当接近的.261，该年他拿出17-7、2.33 ERA的超优表现。 Buchholz has also maintained his success when working with different catchers. 他搭配不同捕手照样能拿好表现。 BaseballReference.com shows he has a 1.14 ERA when caught by starter Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and a 1.29 ERA when David Ross, who is considered a much better defender, is his receiver. BaseballReference.com显示八扣子搭配Salty时1.14 ERA；搭配蹲捕能力更优David Ross 则是1.29 ERA。 Buchholz’s dominance has come against diverse competition. Four of his five starts have come at home. He has also faced three teams with winning records, including the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, who both rank in the top four in runs per game in the American League. 他的对手也很不同，五次先发有四次是在主场，但是有三支球队胜率过五成，也有场均得 分前四的洋基和金莺。 It’s highly unlikely that Buchholz will finish with a 1.19 ERA. However, if he remains consistent in the various improvements he appears to have made, there’s no reason why he won’t be one of the best pitchers in baseball at the end of the 2013 season. 八扣子不太可能会缴出整季1.19 ERA的成绩，但如果他保持他进步之处的稳定性的话，他 会成为2013年球季中最棒的投手之一。 -- ＊Athletic frame. ＊High baseball IQ. Xander ＊Smooth, fluid swing. Bogaerts ＊Elite batspeed. #01 ＊Strong and explosive hands. ＊Above-average-to-better power ceiling, potential 30 home run bat. --

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