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 Friday 13th July 2007

The Result
Aeros - 2 runs to 1

The Curve - Year-to-Date
44 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 Akron Aeros used dominant pitching and an unearned run to turn aside the Curve, 2-1, in game two of a four-game series from Blair County Ballpark on Friday night

Right-handed Akron starter Jake Dittler was dominant, going eight innings and allowing just one run on eight hits
Dittler (4-1) struck out five as he won for the fourth time this season

Dewon Brazelton was also tremendous for the Curve in a losing cause
Brazelton (2-2) permitted just two runs to the Aeros over seven innings of work, but was saddled with his second loss of the year
Just one of those runs was earned as a throwing error commited by Brazelton aided the second Aeros run

The Curve scored first against Dittler in the third inning
Brian Peterson led off the inning with the first of his two doubles in the ballgame
Brandon Chaves laid down a successful sacrifice bunt to move Peterson to third and he scored from there on a Jason Bowers single

Akron tied the game quickly in the in the fifth inning when Ryan Goleski blasted a Brazelton offering off the scoreboard in center field to level the game, 1-1

The Aeros grabbed the lead with an unearned run in the sixth
Trevor Crowe led off with a broken bat infield-single
Brazelton threw wildly to first as he attempted to keep Crowe close to the bag and Crowe scampered all the way around to third base on the miscue
Asdrubal Cabrera promptly singled to bring in the lead run as Akron took a 2-1 advantage

Jim Ed Warden came on for Dittler to close it out in the ninth
He struck out Steven Pearce and Neil Walker before walking McCutchen to put the tying run aboard
Warden recovered to bounce out Jason Delaney to end the ballgame and earn his second save of the year

The loss drops the Curve back under .500 at 44-45 on the year

Altoona is now 9-1/2 games behind Akron in the Southern Division
That deficit equals the largest gap between the Curve and the division lead this season

Game three of the four-game series is scheduled for Saturday night at 7.05pm
RHP Luis Munoz (8-4, 3.44) will make the start for Altoona against LHP Scott Lewis (2-6, 3.92) for Akron

Little could anyone have known a swinging bunt represented one of the Curve’s best chances to move a runner to third base
Altoona had three leadoff doubles but yielded just a single run in a 2-1 setback to Akron before 6,044 fans at Blair County Ballpark on Friday night

Brandon Chaves advanced Brian Peterson to third on a sacrifice bunt in the third inning
Outside of that, Altoona’s hitters missed two ideal scoring opportunities

Andrew McCutchen started the seventh inning with a double to left-center but was stranded there
Jason Delaney’s meek roller back to Akron starter Jake Dittler couldn’t advance McCutchen
Dittler bobbled the ball, and McCutchen retreated back to second rather than risk being thrown out
‘‘He bobbled the ball, then it was like man, I wish I would have went’’ McCutchen said
‘‘At the same time, you didn’t know what’s going to happen, so I didn’t want to take the chance of making that mistake’’
Peterson then lofted a lazy fly ball to center field, and Brandon Chaves fouled out to third to erase that opportunity as Akron preserved its 2-1 lead

‘‘Again, we shouldn’t be able to have to put the runners in that predicament’’ Altoona manager Tim Leiper said, referring to McCutchen staying at second
‘‘We still have to be able to get that ball over to the right side no matter what and make it easy’’

A similar blown opportunity emerged in the fifth inning
Peterson led off the frame with a double, but Chaves struck out on three pitches for the first out

Chaves bunted in the third inning in an identical situation to advance Peterson
Jason Bowers’ RBI single in that inning was all the Curve could muster

‘‘Chaves thought he could get the ball to third base, and I don’t want to take that opportunity out of his hands’’ Leiper said of the missed chance in the fifth
‘‘He’s got to know himself and make sure whatever he does, whether it’s hitting or bunting, he’s got to get the job done’’

Jason Bowers singled, then Vic Buttler bounced into a double play as the Curve failed to capitalize

The final tally - three leadoff doubles, one run

‘‘You hope you’re going to nail one of those chances’’ Leiper said
‘‘We didn’t’’

Only one of the four runners who reached second base advanced
‘‘Moving runners is the stuff we’ve got to do’’ Leiper said
‘‘That’s the stuff you’ve got to do to play winning baseball’’

Altoona starter Dewon Brazelton did everything in his power to give his squad a chance to win
He threw seven innings and allowed two runs - one earned - on eight hits
He walked just one hitter and threw an efficient 89 pitches
Brazelton (2-2) took the tough-luck loss

Akron scored the deciding run in the sixth on Asdrubal Cabrera’s single to score Trevor Crowe
Crowe singled before Brazelton’s two-base throwing error allowed Crowe to take third

Brazelton, who threw in the mid-90s as a prospect in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ organization, now relies more on location and a nice changeup
‘‘Truth be told, I feel like I’m a better pitcher right now than I was’’ Brazelton said
‘‘I threw 95 before, but it was all over the place’’
Brazelton’s ERA is now a miniscule 1.91 since his debut June 16
‘‘You know when he goes out there he’s going to give you a chance to win, and he gave us a chance to win today’’ Leiper said

McCutchen finished the night 2-for-3 with a walk to raise his average to .244
‘‘After that rough start at the beginning of the season, I’ve been trying to play catch-up the whole time’’ he said

Dittler (4-1) threw eight innings, scattering six hits and five strikeouts

Erie beat Bowie on Friday night, dropping the Curve to 6-1/2 games out of second place and 9-1/2 behind front-runner Akron

Altoona will try to make up some ground Saturday when Luis Munoz, the Curve’s best starter, takes the mound