It was just supposed to be another day in the weight room for Roman Quinn.
And, for all intents and purposes, it was, until a stray weight fell on his foot, giving him a slight injury and causing him to miss Friday night's game against Jamestown. The Jammers went on to claim a 5-0 win in Quinn's absence, the Cutters' third consecutive loss since returning from the All-Star break.
"He had a little injury and came to us about it," Williamsport manager Andy Tracy said. "We don't want to risk losing him for multiple days. We felt missing one day was better."
In Saturday's 8-3 win over Jamestown, Quinn's impact on the game was immediately felt, scoring the team's first run. Sunday's, 5-4, win was much the same story, with Quinn reaching in all four plate appearances.
The accident in the weight room aside, Quinn has helped the Cutters stretch their current winning steak to two games.
"It was a freak accident that happened in the weight room," Quinn said. "A weight fell on my foot and it swelled up a little bit, but it has gone down and I'm good to go."
In Saturday's lead-off appearance, Quinn legged out a lead-off bunt, surviving a vicious collision with Felix Munoz at first base. And after a quick pause to refocus, Quinn was back to his usual self, stealing second two pitches into Mitch Walding's at-bat.
Quinn's speed has been one of the biggest attractions this year for the Cutters. It's one of those Major League-ready tools requiring little refinement, and rarely seen at Bowman Field. And using his speed, Quinn has converted his last three attempts, eventually scoring on two of the three attempts.
"It's very important for me, because I'm a speed guy," Quinn said of reaching safely on steal attempts. "That's what I want to do, get on base so I can steal and score."
Andy Tracy has stressed it plenty of times throughout the year, talking about how important each experience is in the league. How every game is a chance to build on each players Major League potential.
Quinn might have a long way to go before we see him taking the field in a Phillies uniform, but it's easy to see that his speed is already something of that caliber.
After using that speed to take second in Saturday's contest, Quinn moved to third when Mitch Walding grounded out to shortstop. Yeison Hernandez only gave a quick glance at Quinn prior going to first, knowing Quinn would be headed to third once he released the ball.
Quinn, now on third, scored moments later when Cameron Perkins drove a grounder to third base. Quinn's run gave the Cutters their first lead since taking a break for the New York-Penn League All-Star game.
The run wasn't decisive, it didn't start a rally or end the game, but what the run did do was infuse confidence into a line-up that had been 1 for 29 with runners in scoring position over its previous three games. Since Quinn rejoined the line-up, the Cutters are 6 for 20 with two consecutive wins.
Quinn went on to add a double in the fifth, finishing his night going 2 for 5 with a run scored and stolen base. The Port St. Joe, Florida, product also had five putouts in the field, helping a defense that has committed just one error over its last two contests.
"I'm feeling more comfortable at the plate and at shortstop," Quinn said. "I feel like I'm refreshed and getting a lot better."
Much like Quinn's potential, his impact on the team's confidence can be seen. In 48 appearances for the Cutters, Quinn has compiled an average of .276 with six doubles and nine triples. He's also batted in 13 runs while stealing 21 bases.
