Correa often puts on a brave face but told The Associated Press how much

HOUSTON (AP) — Carlos Correa is in pain.Every swing and miss hurts Lance Parrish Jersey , and on the bad days it can even be uncomfortable for the Houston Astros star shortstop to walk. this is affecting him as the Astros prepare to leave for Boston and the best-of-seven AL Championship Series that begins on Saturday.“You’re a competitor so every time you step on the field you play it off like everything is fine,” he said Wednesday. “But obviously you’re hurting.”Correa returned from a six-week stint on the disabled list on Aug. 10 and declared that he was better. But he has struggled to regain his top form. He hit just .180 in the second half of the season and managed a single hit — a home run — in an ALDS, looking nothing like the player who made the All-Star team last season and was the 2015 rookie of the year.He said it bothers him most at the plate, and it’s been impossible to get back to how he felt before the injury.“Not only to find my swing, just to feel comfortable at the plate when I swing,” he said. “Because I know every time I swing and miss it’s going to hurt. So, I try not to swing and miss and then I try to baby my swing and I don’t swing as hard as I usually do or as quick as I usually do. So, it’s definitely been tough.”Correa said there’s been a domino effect of pain in other areas, most notably in his obliques, as he tries to avoid doing things that make his back hurt.He’s receiving treatment “24/7,” but the pain remains. He’s using a foam roller at home and been sporadically taking anti-inflammatories.“It’s just a pain down in my lower back that doesn’t let me move right,” he said. “When I bend over, when I rotate. Sometimes when I wake up and I walk in the morning, I know it’s not going to be a good day.”He’s accepted that the aching likely will be with him until he gets an extended rest. He’s trying not to let it weigh on him, but in private moments at home with his fiancee Daniella Rodriguez, he laments that he simply hasn’t been himself this season.“When I go to sleep at night http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , I think about especially this year (how) I’m not performing the way I know I can perform, it’s just been tough,” he said. “Sometimes I talk to Daniella and I’m like: ‘There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m hurting.’ But I’m a competitor so you grind, you try to perform. But it’s definitely … been frustrating at times.”Despite his woes, Correa started all three games of the ALDS and continues to play stellar defense, something he takes pride in as he struggles at the plate. And though he was just 1 for 10 against the Indians, his one hit was a big one — a three-run homer in the clinching game — providing hope that maybe things are getting better.“I feel like I had really good at-bats in the series vs. Cleveland, just not getting lucky with the balls I hit hard,” he said. “But that one fell, and it gives me a lot of confidence going into this series.”Manager AJ Hinch was asked if he’s concerned about Correa.“Not now,” he said. “We (have) four days off. We get to press the reset button. You don’t just get to press pause either way. We had some guys get six and seven hits in that series, but you have to start over again, new opponent. So, no it doesn’t concern me.”Correa is focused on keeping a positive attitude as he fights through this and is determined to do all he can to help the Astros repeat as champions.“It’s been a tough year. But it’s not the end of the world,” he said. “I keep grinding every single day. I keep trying to find ways to help my team. I thought my defense this year was excellent and I’m looking forward to winning another championship and getting some rest.”“And come back next year strong and be the player that I am,” he continued. TEMPE Travis Wood Jersey , Ariz. — Smack dab in the middle of the NL West and wild-card races, the Arizona Diamondbacks can feel the relevance in every pitch.San Diego, for its part, is hoping that its younger players also can take something from the exposure to a playoff atmosphere, even if it is from the other side of the field.The Padres stopped the Diamondbacks 6-2 behind Franmil Reyes‘ first career two-homer game in the first game of a two-game mini-series at Chase Field on Monday, the first of five games remaining between the two this season. The Padres also have series remaining against contenders Seattle and the DodgersArticle continues below ...“These games are going to mean a lot to that club, and it’s a chance for us to make it hard on them,” San Diego manager Andy Green said of the Arizona games.“And then we are going to go into Dodger Stadium in the middle of the month and have an opportunity to go against a team that we can make it very hard on. For the guys that pitch on those days, they are going to feel what it feels like pitching in a September playoff race.“We can’t artificially create that when we go to Cincinnati (this weekend). Those games are going to be equally important for us to win, but I think I’m excited for the opportunity to see our guys tested in the venues this month.”Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray (4-2) is to face San Diego left-hander Joey Lucchesi (7-7) in the second game of the short two-game set Tuesday.Arizona has lost four in a row and six of eight, during which it has scored 14 runs, with a high of three.“Obviously it is not ideal the way we have been swinging the bats,” said veteran catcher Alex Avila, who has been through successful stretch runs before with Detroit and the Cubs.“You can’t let that overtake you and cloud your mind on a daily basis. It’s just a matter of time. There will be a day when we break out of it. It’s a tough game, so you just have to keep plugging away.”The D-backs will commence a streak of 20 consecutive games against teams that are .500 or better with a four-game home series against NL East-leading Atlanta that begins Thursday.Their next road trip is a seven-gamer to Colorado (four games) and Houston followed by a nine-game homestand that includes three-game series against the Cubs, Colorado and the Dodgers. They finish up with three games in San Diego.Ray http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , who has a 4.55 ERA, has given up only one run in each of his past two starts while walking the tightrope, having given up 15 base runners in his previous 10 1/3 innings.When Ray throws strikes, he is tough to hit — he has 16 strikeouts in his last two outings and is averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings, second only to Washington’s Max Scherzer (12.0) among NL starters. Ray missed eight weeks with a strained oblique muscle earlier in the season and has thrown 91 innings in his 18 starts.Ray has worked with pitching coach Mike Butcher on finishing his delivery more on line, with his plant foot facing home plate when he lands so that he is not throwing across his body.He said he felt that click in a no-decision start against Seattle on Aug. 25, when he gave up one run in five innings. He struck out nine in five innings in a 3-1 victory over the Dodgers in his most recent start last Thursday.“I felt locked in mentally and mechanically,” Ray said after the Seattle outing. “Just a small change like that makes a huge difference. It honestly feels fine either way, but just the result of the pitch isn’t exactly where I want it to be when I close myself off.”Ray has made two starts against the Padres this season without a decision while giving up seven runs and nine walks in 8 2/3 innings.Rookie Lucchesi, who sports a 3.59 ERA in 21 starts, had made two consecutive quality starts after giving up five runs in four innings of a 9-4 loss to Arizona at Petco Park on Aug. 17.His last two losses have come against the Diamondbacks, and he has had limited success against them this season, going 0-4 with a 7.71 ERA in four starts, two at home and two on the road. Arizona has five homers and 16 runs off him in 18 2/3 innings.Paul Goldschmidt and Nick Ahmed have two homers apiece off Lucchesi this season and A.J. Pollock has one.