I don't know it's just good timing I guess. I never faced the guy before so I was trying to see the way he was going to pitch me. The first pitch was middle in, a slider. I was looking for a pitch and I hit it good. I focused just to see the ball and to try and get a good pitch.

But hitting is so crazy. You feel great today and get three hits. And the next day you show up and it's, 'What happened to my mechanics? Where's my swing?' Sometimes I even Google it and the search comes up with no results.

I'm one of those guys that's going to show up to the field and try my best.

I know where my game is. I know I'm a power hitter and an RBI guy. I need to get on base for my teammates behind me and just stick with my game. I don't try to do too much. Sometimes when you try to do too much in this game you pretty much can't do anything. And that's pretty much my mentality.

The back, it's frustrating. It's hard to figure out. You go to bed feeling good, and you wake up tight. It seems like, when you have a bad back, your whole body feels like crap.

The body doesn't recover like it does when you're younger.

The notion of a World Baseball Classic is a tremendous idea. This isn't two U.S teams, but a true world championship. It's an opportunity to play against guys you've never faced in your life.

That team had incredible chemistry and a winning mood from the moment you walked into the dugout.

I've been trying everything. My swing has been really inconsistent this year. Today I felt pretty good, so I hope it stays like that for a while.

As soon as you get traded, you kind of start thinking where you're going to live, your family, you have to pack.