4/27: Not as bad

The pain is a little better but I still can't walk without some pain.  It's not as bad as the last two days but it is still there.  Still in Phase 1 of rehab so I'll let you know when I'm ready to move on to Phase 2.  

The good news is that we beat Richmond 4-2 to win the series two games to one. The team now heads to Harrisburg. PA to take on the Senators in a four game series.  Good luck guys and I am with you in spirit.

4/26: Still Hurting

Not a lot to report today.  My rehab continues and while my team is in Richmond taking on the Flying Squirrels, I am here laying on the couch.  Since I'm supposed to stay off my leg, I've spent most of the day playing MLB The Show 14 on the PS4. 

As far as the game today, we lost 3-0. 

4/25: And the results are......?

Just got back from the hospital where I had my MRI and the results are good but not great.  I have what's being called a severe Grade 2 Strain/Tear to the semimembranosus muscle.  At least it wasn't the Grade 3 that we initially thought which would be a complete tear of the muscle and would have shelved me for several months.

To give you an even better idea of my injury you can look at the picture above.  The partial tear is just below the Proximal tendon. It won't require surgery but it will require physical therapy and for me to go on the 15-day Disabled List.

I have actually started my therapy already and I am in what is called Stage 1 or the Acute Stage.  This stage requires complete rest, no running and as little walking as possible.  Stage 1 is expected to last 3-4  days and then hopefully I can move on to Stage 2 of my rehab. I will keep you posted.

New Britain traveled to Richmond where they beat the Flying Squirrels 5-4 in the first of a three game series.

Down Goes Frazier!!!!

Sorry for borrowing the famous quote from Howard Cosell but it seemed appropriate.  Except it wasn't Frazier.  It was me.  But "down goes Frazier" sounded a lot better than "down goes Walker," don't you think? 

So what happened? I'm glad you asked. After coming up in the first inning with runners on 1st and 2nd, I managed to slap a shot through the right side of the infield.  One run scored and the runner on first went to third.  While I was rounding first to take my turn and look, I felt a little twinge in my right hamstring.  After calling time and walking it off, I told the first base coach that I was good to go.  Looking over at the third base coach for the signs, I saw that I had been given the green light to steal second base.  So I got a decent lead at first and this caused the pitcher to throw over and try to pick me off.  We did this dance a couple of more times before he finally went home with the pitch which was taken low in the dirt.  Once again I was given the steal sign and this time I took another half step with my lead.  Once again they tried to pick me off and once again I was able to dive back in safely.  But this time, when I turned and started to dive, I felt a pop behind my right thigh and as I was diving back in, all I could do was let out a scream as I felt my thigh was on fire.  The umpire quickly called time and the trainer ran onto the field.  I was carried off to the clubhouse by my teammates with what is being called publicly as a "pulled hamstring." In reality it is at least a Grade 2 Hamstring Strain and possibly a Grade 3 Strain.  Right now I am practicing the PRICE (Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) protocol for treatment. I will hope to know more tomorrow or Saturday after an MRI. 

Oh, by the way, we lost the game 8-5 and I finished 1-1 with an RBI.  I'll let you know what I find out after the MRI.

I don't know sometimes

If the game would have stopped after seven innings, then we would have gotten the easy 5-2 win.  But it didn't.  It had to go to the eighth inning where we gave up five runs to trail 7-5 and that's where it would stay as we lost another one to the Fisher Cats.  Despite my 2-4 day with a three-run home run in the 3rd inning, I couldn't find a way to help us win.  I just don't know sometimes.  I just don't.

Cooling off period

So I guess my post from yesterday didn't go over too well with some of my teammates and the powers that be for the team.  When I got to the park today I got called into the Skipper's office and he proceeded to chew my ass out royally.  I don't blame him though.  I was blowing off steam and let my emotions cloud my judgement when I posted that yesterday.  I apologized to him and to the team but he decided to sit me today and let me think about it.  He started Ramirez in my place at first and he managed to put together another fantastic O-fer day.  The good news is that we won 3-1 though.  I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Can I get a little help?

A simple question.  I don't think I'm asking for too much.  I mean, after all, some days it feels like I am the only one out there.  Like today for instance.  2-4 with a solo home run and another run scored.  Too bad that my two runs were the only ones we scored all day as we fell to New Hampshire 10-2.  I was hoping to come off the off day rested and ready to go.  But instead we looked rusted and ready to choke.  There's always tomorrow I guess.

On another note, this marked my first game at second base.  I was talking to the Skipper last week about what I could do to help the team and we kicked around a few ideas.  One being possibly moving to second base and I told him I was open to the idea. Well, today during BP, he came to me and told me to grab a glove after I batted and shag some grounders. I told him my mitt was behind him and that's when he told me that I was starting at 2nd today.  Needless to say, I was a little nervous but I managed to get through the day without booting any plays.  I'm still a work in progress but it's coming.  

Triple Double?

I know, I know, a triple double is a basketball term but it also describes my night at the plate since I managed to get three doubles tonight.  That's right.  I went 3-5 with three doubles and one RBI but it was all for nothing as we ended up losing 8-7 in eleven innings.  Have I mentioned how much a f@cking hate losing? Oh well, at least tomorrow we have a much needed off day.  Maybe we will come back rejuvenated. 

One is the loneliest number

One is the loneliest number. Well almost.  I would have to say zero is the loneliest.  Especially when that's how many runs you score and they score one.  Yeah, we lost 1-0 tonight but I have to hand it to the Portland pitchers.  Four of them combined together to pitch a strong four-hit shutout.  I did manage to go 2-4 tonight but it didn't amount to anything so it seems like Pyrrhic victory.  We will see what tomorrow brings as we host the rubber game with Portland.

Home, Sweet Home

Ahhh, there's no place like home.  At least that's how I felt tonight at the park and the fans got to enjoy free baseball as we went extra innings.  After being tied through 10, I managed to end it all in fine fashion with a walk-off three run homer in the bottom of the 11th to give us the 10-7 win.  Overall I finished the night 2-6 with 2 home runs and five RBIs. 

Put away the brooms

Alas, no series sweep for us.  After jumping out to two quick runs in the 1st inning against the Fisher Cats, we ended up losing in the bottom of the 9th 3-2.  I can't say that I helped much since I had another O-fer day while driving in one RBI.  But like the songs says, two out of three ain't bad.  

Now it's back home to the cozy confines of New Britain Stadium where we will host the Sea Dogs of Portland on Thursday. Hope to see you there.

Cat Fight!!!

In what had to be described as a cat fight, especially since it was the Rock Cats taking on the Fisher Cats, we managed to squeeze out a narrow 4-3 victory. Another 2-4 day for me with one RBI and a run scored.  Tomorrow we go for the series sweep here in Manchester.  Wish us luck.

Doubling Down

After a slow start, we finally got things rolling and manage to break our two game losing streak as we doubled up the Fisher Cats 8-4.  Not only did the team start out slow, we didn't get on the board until the 6th inning, but so did I.  After going 0-3 in my first three trips to the plate, I managed to get an RBI single in both of my next plate appearances in the 7th and 8th innings.

Dog days?

Tonight was game four of our four game series at Portland and we were hoping to get the win so we could split the series.  Hope had other plans though as we lost 7-2 for our second consecutive loss.  I did manage to go 3-4 with one RBI and two stolen bases. I'm not gonna dwell on it as we are headed to Manchester, New Hampshire for a three game series with the Fisher Cats.

2 + 2 = 4 = L

So how do I follow up my two home run, five RBI game? With another two homer game of course. This time I managed to hit a two-run home run in the 4th and 5th innings.  That's right two homers for four RBIs while going 3-4 in the game.  Unfortunately those were the only runs we scored as we got beat 12-4. 

Back on track?

Ahhhh, what a difference a good night of sleep can make.  We were able to bounce back tonight and get the convincing 7-1 win. I'll have to say, spirits were pretty high during batting practice and that I had a good feeling prior to the start.  We managed to scatter 11 hits from seven different players and Willey was strong on the mound going the distance scattering 7 hits and striking out six for the complete game. 

Like I said, I had a good feeling for today between batting practice and the start of the game.  After BP, I went back to the locker room and tried to relax.  I tried to mentally go back to those years ago when my grandfather would play ball with me in the yard.  I visualized him pitching me the ball and me hitting it as hard as I could, which wasn't very hard since I was three or four years old at the time.  Another reason I was probably thinking about him was today would have been his 93rd birthday.  I wish he could have seen me play and play is exactly what I did today.  I started the day with a solo home run in the 2nd followed by a single in the 4th.  But my crowning achievement came in the 5th inning when I hit another grand slam (my third of the young season) for my second home run of the day.  I came up one more time in the 8th and barely missed another homer as the center fielder got me on the warning track.  Overall, 3-4 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs pushing my season totals to a .384 avg with 8 HRs and 23 RBIs through nine games. 

Road weary?

I don't know if we were tired from the trip or if Portland is just that much better than us but we got handled easily tonight as we lost 8-2.  Once again we allowed a team to jump on us early as the Sea Dogs went up 6-1 in the first three innings.  Maybe we can get some rest and turn it around tomorrow.

I had my second consecutive O-fer night going 0-4 while grounding into two double plays.  I hope this isn't the beginning of a slump.  I'm gonna grab a couple of drinks and then hit the bed.  Maybe a good night sleep will turn it around for me. 

Glad this game is over

We got slaughtered.  There's no other way to say it.  We got killed 15-0.  They jumped on us for seven in the 2nd and then another three in the 3rd and we never recovered.  Quintero, the Senators pitcher, was in complete control scattering 9 hits over 9 innings and striking out 6 for the complete game shutout.  

I had my second O-fer day of the season.  It's so frustrating.  I know they will come and that there will be more in my career but I still don't like it.

So we lost this series 2-1 but we have to put this behind us.  We are jumping on the bus now and headed to Portland where we take on the Sea Dogs for a four game series.  

Reverse of yesterday

Yesterday we beat the Senators 8-7 but today we lost 8-7 to them.  We had three errors that led to two unearned runs and that proved to be the difference in the game.  Take those two runs away and we win 7-6.  This sucks.  I hate losing.  I know it's only our second loss and and we are 4-2 on the year but I still hate it.  

As far as my night, 2-5 with 2 HRs (a solo shot in the 4th and a 2-run shot in the 5th) and 3 RBIs.  The other three plate appearances were all atom balls again.  My avg. is still at .444 but now I have 6 HRs and 18 RBIs for the season.  

So long for now.  I'm gonna grab a drink, play a little MLB The Show and then head to bed. 

Senators rally vetoed

I know, I know.  The post title was a really bad play on words but it does fit.  After all, it looked like we had the game won as we headed into the top of the 9th leading 6-3.  But when we went to our bullpen to close it in the ninth, the wheels fell off.  Castilla gave up four runs on three hits and three walks in two thirds of an inning.  I'm just glad he struck out two or it could have been a lot worse.  Luckily Guardado was able to come in and shut the door and for us but we were still down 7-6 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Thanks to Rivera's walk-off two run home run, we were able to sneak out a 8-7 win. 

I started out slow grounding out to 2nd in the 1st inning but then had a double in the 4th.  I added a 3-run home run in the 5th before finishing my night by flying out to deep right.  So I was 2-4 with one HR and 3 RBIs.  That bumps my avg. up to .454 with 4 HRs and 15 RBIs on the season.

Check back tomorrow for game two with Harrisburg. 

First loss

As you can tell by the post title, we experienced our first loss tonight.  Richmond knocked us off 7-2 as we couldn't seem to get any offense generated.  We only managed five all nights and never seemed to be able to solve the riddle of the Flying Squirrels pitcher, Becker.  He threw eight strong innings and probably only came out due to a pitch count.  

It wasn't my night either since I managed to put up my first O-fer of the season going 0-4.  I was making good contact all night but everything seemed to be atom balls.  Oh well, I guess you can't win them all. 

Tomorrow we welcome the Harrisburg Senators to town so grab your friends and come on out to the park.  Hope to see you there. 

What a crazy night

Tonight was game three of a four game series against Richmond and we were looking for our third win in a row to start the season.  Coming into the game, I have to say I was feeling pretty good. I was coming in batting .444 with one home run (the first night grand slam) and 5 RBIs.  Not too shabby to start off the season.  I was hoping to continue this in tonight's game.  But what happened tonight can only be described in one word - CRAZY! 

First of all, let me say that we did win the game.  And we won it rather easily.  We scored three in the 1st and 3rd innings.  Then followed that up with five in the 4th and 4 in the 5th and finally one in the 6th.  That's 16 runs in the first six innings and before they even managed to get on the board.  They did manage to eek out a run in both the 7th and 9th but never really challenged as we won 16-2.

As for me, I said it was crazy.  I singled in the 1st and then followed that up with a 2-run home run in the 3rd.  Not one to relax, I then came up in the bottom of the fourth with bases loaded and hit my second grand slam of the season and second home run of the game. I followed that up with a an RBI single in the 6th before flying out in shallow left to the shortstop.  So my final line was 4-5 with 2 HRs and 7 RBIs.  My batting average has now ballooned to a comforting .571 but it's only three games into the season. 

We try for the series sweep tomorrow so wish us luck.

Game 2

After the events of last night's game, I didn't know what to expect.  Luckily we managed to win this one though. It did look in doubt for a minute as we gave up three runs in the 9th before finishing them off. Richmond never gives up and fights until the end.  We had too many errors (3 for the game) and some stupid base running mistakes. 

I managed to finish 2-4 with a double in the 2nd and a single in the 6th but grounded into a double play in the 4th.  The important thing is we got the win.  Hopefully we can continue our winning ways tomorrow.  We shall see.

What an entrance!!!!!

In the words of the great Cubs announcer, Harry Carey, "HOLY COW!!!" I guess you could say I made a rather grand entrance in the AA Eastern League in our season opener against the Richmond Flying Squirrels.  Here is a quick rundown of the game, the best I can remember.

It didn't start off well at all and by the time I actually made my first plate appearance, we were already down 4-0.  After fighting off a couple of close pitches, I hit a hard shot down the first base line that the Richmond first baseman made a great play on and then beat me to the bag.  Yeah, that's right.  In my first AA at bat, I go out 3U (three unassisted). 

My next at bat was in the bottom of the 4th when we were down 5-2.  I managed to take a hard slider on the inside part of the plate and pull it into the hole between first and second.  Breaking out of the box, I knew I had my first AA hit.  That is until I watched the Richmond second sacker range deep into the grass and make a beautiful snag of my well placed hit and then throw me out at first.  For those of you keeping score at home, I was out 4-3.  

Down 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning with a runner on second and one out, I stepped up to the plate once again.  On a 2-2 count, I hit a frozen rope over the second baseman's head into right field for a single.  Not only did I get my first AA hit, but with the runner on second scoring, I also got my first AA RBI. Unfortunately,  that's about as far as it went since my hit was followed by a strikeout and a fielder's choice leaving me stranded at first. At least I managed to tie the game up at 5-5 though.

Leading off the bottom of the 9th and still tied 5-5, I walked up to the plate determined to get us started and get the win.  I got fooled on a change up and topped it weakly, grounding out to shortstop.  So much for starting that ninth inning rally but then again, no one else got it started either.  So we went on to extra innings or as some people look at it, "free baseball."

The top of the tenth didn't fare well for us as we gave up two runs and trailed 7-5 as we headed to the bottom of  10th.  We managed to squeeze out a run and then loaded the bases which brought me up to bat one more time.  So there I was, no outs, bases loaded and down 7-6.  All I needed was a single and two runs would probably score and that would get us the win.  As I stepped into the box, all I could think was, "Don't blow this!!!"  Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get that single. Unfortunately for Richmond that is.  Because after reaching a 1-2 count and fouling off three straight pitches, I got a fastball up and let it rip.  That's right folks, a WALK OFF GRAND SLAM!!!!!  We ended up winning 10-7 and I got completely mobbed by teammates when I reached home plate.  Like I said in the post title, "What an entrance!!!!!!" 

There you have it.  My first AA game and I will say that I think I represented well.  I'm worn out now and headed to bed.  I'll be back tomorrow to update you on the game.

Opening Day Jitters?

Well, it's Opening Day and I must say that I am a little nervous.  I don't know why but I am.  Maybe it's the new city or the new park.  Maybe it's the fact that I'm playing AA ball now and that I am halfway to The Show.  I don't know but I hope I don't make a fool of myself today.  We shall see I guess.  Come on out to the park and wish me luck.  See you after the game.

GOOOOO Rock Cats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!