A note from Brett on Sunday 24th June 2007
I know things haven't been going really well lately - and I am afraid it just got a little worse!!
I have hurt my hand again and I am going back on the Disabled List again tomorrow
I am pretty sure of this because I told Tim Leiper I couldn't swing
and that it will take some time just like before
I am very disappointed just as I am sure that you all are
There is nothing I can do now besides trying to rehab as best I can
and get healthy as quickly as possible
I feel like crap over here right now and might just go see a movie tonight to kill some time
and get my mind off of it all
But tomorrow I will be good again and do all I can to get better!!

A note from Brett on Tuesday 26th June 2007
Well, here we are again
I have been to the doctor again today and got an MRI like I did with my shoulder
It hurt a lot more this time when they put the dye in - and I about went through the roof!
Got the reading 'sort of' back tonight
The assistant read it and said it was a deep bone bruise and it should heel to 100% over time
Not sure how long that is just yet
I find out the final reading tomorrow but it should be okay
The bruise is in the same place where I broke it in January
Sucks!!
I am now going to go into rehab and I think I am staying here to do it
and I just hope it doesn't take too long
Also there are two more outfielders coming tomorrow
I have to talk to Brian Graham in the next few days about what they want me to do
I honestly am not sure about my playing time when I do come back
but we'll cross the bridge when we come to it
Just an update and I will be back online tomorrow

A note from Brett on Thursday 28th June 2007
No news yet - and I am going to take that as good news!!
The doctor didn't call or come bye yesterday so I will say that makes me feel a little better!!
Hope to hear officially today and I will email or call then

A note from Brett on Saturday 7th July 2007
With the hand, I have a doctor's appointment the first day after the All Star Game break
which is 10th and 11th July
I might get a pain killing injection if I need it - but it does feel a lot better
I have been doing a small range of motion exercises and it's improving
So hopefully after five more days I may even get to start swinging!!
I want to be ready and then have six weeks to finish the season
That is my ideal situation

A note from Brett on Thursday 12th July 2007
There isn't any really bad news - more so just news - not good or bad
The first MRI I had two weeks ago was done incorrectly, so I found out today
What they did see on the first one was two bone bruises but no definitive answer on the ligaments
So I am now having what's called a three injection arthrogram
They put dye in three different areas to see if there are any leaks
Had the first one today and I then have two more Monday
Then an appointment after them on Monday with the hand specialist
Hope it's good news!
As for now, there is no chance of playing til at least the first on the month in my mind
And with our lineup how it is right now, I don't know if I will play when healthy anyway
Not what I wanted to hear, but there isn't much I can do right now
except push my good news date back to Monday and just hope!

Curve Game Day Notes on Saturday 14th July 2007

The Result
Curve - 3 runs to 2

The Curve - Year-to-Date
45 wins and 45 losses

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Did Not Play
Playing
Batting - #

Brett's at-bats
First plate appearance

Second plate appearance

Third plate appearance

Fourth plate appearance

At the end of the Game
0 hit from 0 at-bats

Heard during the game

Email from Brett

Game Reports

The Curve survived a ninth inning scare and held off the Akron Aeros, 3-2, in game three of a four-game series from Blair County Ballpark on Saturday night

Trailing 3-1 heading to the ninth, the Aeros were able to plate a run off of Curve closer Matt Peterson to pull within a run
Peterson, who had come on to get out of the eighth inning, was relieved by Chris Hernandez with one out
Hernandez entered and struck out one of the league's leading hitters, Asdrubal Cabrera, for the second out of the inning
Hernandez got to a two-strike count on Jordan Brown, and with 7,584 fans voicing their support, he induced a bounce out to Brandon Chaves to end the ballgame

The Curve had gotten to that point due to a strong performance by starter Luis Munoz
Munoz (9-4) earned the win by going six innings and allowing just a lone run on four hits

Akron starter Scott Lewis was the hard-luck loser, working 5-2/3 innings and permitting just two earned runs
Lewis (2-7) lost for the seventh time this season

The Aeros got on the board first in the fourth inning when Chris Gimenez lined a solo home run into the left field bleachers for a 1-0 Akron lead

The Curve turned the tables on Akron in the fifth
Lewis had breezed through the first four innings, but permitted back-to-back singles to Andrew McCutchen and Jason Delaney
Jason Bowers bunted the two runners to second and third
Dave Parrish followed with what looked to be a routine fly ball to center field
Aeros' center fielder Trevor Crowe started in on the ball however, and as it landed behind him for a double, both runners scored to give the Curve a 2-1 lead

Hernandez earned his third save by recording the final two outs of the ballgame

The Curve will attempt to split the series in the finale on Sunday night at 6.05pm
RHP Yoslan Herrera (3-5, 5.11) will make the start for Altoona against RHP Reid Santos (6-1, 2.20) for Akron

It looked like some imposters wearing Akron uniforms Saturday night at Blair County Ballpark, but the Curve didn’t mind
The Aeros, year in and year out one of the most fundamentally sound teams in all the minors, usually never beat themselves
They did just that Saturday, though, and the Curve took advantage by turning in a solid, all-around effort in a 3-2 win before 7,584 fans

‘‘They made a couple of mistakes at crucial times, and we ended up on top’’ Curve catcher Dave Parrish said
Parrish benefited from one of those mistakes after lifting a routine flyball to center field in the fifth inning
Altoona trailed, 1-0, and had runners at second and third with one out when Parrish hit a ball right at Trevor Crowe in center
Crowe didn’t just break the wrong way, he started running the wrong way as he initially charged in on the ball
It ended up sailing over his head as he raced back, giving Parrish a two-run double that scored Andrew McCutchen and Jason Delaney

The Curve never trailed again and got a key insurance run thanks to a fine at-bat from Steven Pearce in the sixth
Pearce fouled off several two-strike pitches from Akron starter Scott Lewis (2-7) before lifting a sacrifice fly to right that scored Adam Boeve for a 3-1 lead
‘‘That’s a huge at-bat, and that’s the at-bat we’ve needed and the one we haven’t been getting’’ Curve manager Tim Leiper said
‘‘He did a really nice job of shortening up and taking a lot of good pitches on the outside and fouling them off’’

The Aeros closed within 3-2 in the ninth inning with a run off Curve closer Matt Peterson, who was trying to finish it off after coming on with one out in the eighth
A leadoff double by Chris Gimenez and RBI single from Argenis Reyes produced Akron’s run, then Peterson walked Crowe to put runners at first and second with one out
For the first time all season, Leiper pulled Peterson in the ninth with a save still on the line
The manager turned to Chris Hernandez, who struck out Asdrubal Cabrera before getting a game-ending groundout from Jordan Brown

Hernandez earned his third save

‘‘We had to bring in Petey earlier than we wanted to, and he didn’t have his best stuff tonight’’ Leiper said
There is no closer controversy, though
‘‘No, there’s nothing to read into it’’ Leiper added
‘‘Sometimes the game needs to be saved in the eighth, sometimes it needs to be saved in the seventh, and tonight was one of those cases
It turned out it’s nice to have the luxury to have Hernandez come in and close it out’’

Curve starter Luis Munoz (9-4) gave up just one run on four hits over six innings to earn the win

New reliever Ronald Belisario worked around some trouble in a scoreless seventh in his Altoona debut, prompting Leiper to say he ‘‘did a nice job’’

Akron, which took a 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Gimenez in the third, had to feel like it gave away the game
Aside from the misplayed ball in center field, the Aeros beat themselves with several baserunning mistakes
The most costly was Cabrera straying too far off third base in the eighth and getting gunned down by the catcher Parrish on a ball in the dirt for the second out
Akron also committed the cardinal sin of having a runner thrown out at third for the first out in the fifth
David Wallace, a catcher, had the play in front of him in left field as he rounded second trying to go from first to third on a single, and Vic Buttler threw him out

‘‘Our baserunning was absolutely pathetic’’ Akron manager Tim Bogar said
‘‘We’re just giving them outs, and we can’t do that
We’re too good of a hitting team to just give people outs’’

Akron has the second-best record in the league at 55-38, but Saturday’s game proved even a strong team can’t make mistakes and expect to beat a quality opponent like the Curve
‘‘No team can make the mistakes we made tonight and overcome them’’ Bogar said
‘‘The only way we were going to do that is if they were going to hand us the game, and they’re too good a team to do that’’