Altoona Curve Game Information: May 21, 2013
Published on May 21, 2013 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
ABOUT YESTERDAY...: The Reading Fightin Phils were able to capitalize with runners on and two out with five of their six runs coming with two down in a, 6-3, win over the Curve in the first game of a four-game series Monday night at FirstEnergy Stadium. Starter Stolmy Pimentel (2-2) had his third straight rough outing, giving up five runs while tying a career-high with seven innings pitched on Monday. He struck out five and walked one but all five of the runs he surrendered came with two outs. Altoona trailed early after a three-run first inning but clawed back when Jarek Cunningham homered in the fourth inning to put the Curve on the board. Pimentel himself had a RBI ground- out in the fifth to cut the lead to one but then Reading's shortstop Edgar Duran hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the inning. Altoona went hitless from the sixth through eighth innings before Adalberto Santos homered with one out in the ninth for the game's final run. Santos ended the game with a pair of hits while catcher Carlos Paulino had his seven-game hit streak halted. Seth Rosin (2-3) earned the win for Reading with a career-high eight innings pitched.
CURVE/FIGHTINS SERIES: The Curve and the Reading Fightin Phils meet for the first time this season in the four- game series at FirstEnergy Stadium. It will be the only time that the two clubs meet in Reading in 2013 but they'll have a pair of series in Curve, Pa. (one in early June and the other in mid-August). FOR ALTOONA: Returning for a fourth rehab start, and making his sixth overall rehab start, will be RHP Charlie Mor- ton, who last pitched for the Curve on Thursday versus Trenton in the homestand finale at Peoples Natural Gas Field. The Flemington, N.J. native had Tommy John surgery last June and was cruising along in his rehab assignment until a minor setback on May 3 when he felt some shoulder discomfort during his start at Lehigh Valley. He was removed from the game after three innings and later diagnosed as having tightness in the back of his upper right shoulder. He resumed his rehab last Thursday and felt no pain after throwing four innings and 61 pitches. He allowed two hits, both solo home runs, and struck out one. He's expected to go five innings or 80 pitches tonight vs. Reading. For more on Morton, see page two.
FOR READING: April's E.L. Player of the Month in Reading's Jesse Biddle will make the start on Tuesday night for the Fightins. The southpaw was 2-1 in five starts during the month with an ERA of 1.74 and 40 strikeouts in 31.0 innings pitched. Despite the fact that the Fightins have struck out the second-fewest amount of batters as a team in the league, Biddle certainly gets his share of the ones that they do strike out. He whiffed a career-high 16 hitters and threw seven-innings of one-hit ball at Harrisburg on April 22. He followed it up with a 10-strikeout day on April 28 vs. New Hampshire. Last time out for Biddle, the lefty allowed three runs on five hits in six innings to be hit with the loss. He entered this season as the top prospect in the Phillies organization according to Baseball America. He is a former first-round pick (27th overall) in the 2010 draft out of Germantown Friends HS (Pa.).
THE RETURN OF THE HOMER: The Curve have spent four days away from Peoples Natural Gas Field and have hit five homers on the current road trip to break a seven-game home run drought that occurred during the last homes- tand. Jarek Cunningham, Gift Ngoepe, Andrew Lambo and Adalberto Santos have all gone deep so far in the first four games with Cunningham having two homers. However, the Curve went 5-2 on the homerless homestand and have gone 1-3 to start this road trip.
HE EATS HIS WHEATIES: OF/1B Andrew Lambo drew a walk in his last at bat on Monday night and continued his impressive streak of reaching base in all but three games to start the season (39-of-42). Lambo leads the team in home runs, RBI, hits and is tied for the team lead in walks. His eight home runs are fourth-most in the EL entering play today.
THE THRILL OF THE CHASE: 2010 Curve SS Chase d'Arnaud joined the Curve on Saturday night to continue his ML rehab assignment as he is recovering from a partially torn ligament in his left thumb that he suffered in Spring Train- ing. He played in two games with High-A Bradenton earlier this week (Thursday and Friday) and went a combined 2-for-6 with a triple, RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. In his two rehab games with the Curve so far, d'Arnaud is 0-for-7.
DON'T FORGET YOUR TOOTHBRUSH: The Curve are now four games into one of the tougher stretches on their 2013 schedule. Altoona is in a period of the season where they are playing 13-of-17 games away from home with- out the benefit of a day off. Done with the series in Richmond, the Curve are now in the midst four-game series with the Reading Fightin Phils in their only trip to FirstEnergy Stadium this season. Then it's back home on Friday for a Memorial Day weekend series with Richmond before its back on the road through Binghamton and Portland.
BIG LEAGUE CHEW: The Curve have had their share of Major League rehabilitation assignments or former Major Leaguers in their ranks for a few weeks now. Francisco Liriano made one rehab start for the Curve on Saturday, April 20 while reliever Jose Contre- ras also pitched for the Curve that weekend in Harrisburg on his way to Pittsburgh. Charlie Morton joined the Curve the following week for a pair of rehab starts on April 23 and 28 and was followed by Neil Walker's rehab appearance this past weekend vs. Richmond. Morton returned last week to start Thursday morning's game and Jeff Karstens tossed four innings in Sat- urday night's game in Richmond. The Morton and Karstens duo will pitch for the Curve in this series today and Thursday, respectively.
CHARLIE AND THE HIT FACTORY: Catcher Charlie Cutler has been a steady force to be reckoned with in the Curve offense this season. He's been especially happy hitting at Peoples Natural Gas Field, batting a blis- tering .387 (12-for-31) in 11 games. He's also had the flair for dramatics in some big victories for the Curve this season. His hit in the bottom of the ninth vs. Richmond on April 16 tied the game and forced extra innings. The Curve later won that game with Cutler scoring the winning run. He also won the second game of a doubleheader in Harrisburg with an 11th- inning double. Lastly, he ended the game on Sunday with Richmond when he sailed a ball deep to center that Squirrels centerfielder Jarrett Parker dropped to allow Andrew Lambo to score and secure a walk-off win.
Eastern League Stories from May 21, 2013
- Baysox Blast Away Aeros - Chesapeake Baysox
- Baysox "Waring" a Smile after 13-2 Victory - Akron RubberDucks
- Biddle Back to Form as Fightins Blank Curve, 3-0 - Reading Fightin Phils
- New Britain Halts Skid, Beats Binghamton, 9-3 - New Britain Rock Cats
- B-Mets Strand Baker's Dozen in 9-3 Loss - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- Tracy, Bullpen Combine to Blank Squirrels 3-0 - Trenton Thunder
- Biddle Baffles Curve on Tuesday - Altoona Curve
- Thunder Break Stalemate; Take Game Two, 3-0 - Richmond Flying Squirrels
- SeaWolves Fall in Rain Shortened Game - Erie SeaWolves
- Spring to the rescue, Sea Dogs win 5-3 - Portland Sea Dogs
- Comeback Falls Short in 5-3 Loss at Portland - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Bowie Baysox Announce Player Move - Chesapeake Baysox
- Senators Announce Upcoming Events - Harrisburg Senators
- Altoona Curve Game Information: May 21, 2013 - Altoona Curve
- Seawolves vs. Senators - Game Notes - May 21, 2013 - Erie SeaWolves
- B-Mets vs. Rock Cats - Game Notes - May 21, 2013 - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- Sea Dogs vs. Fisher Cats - Game Notes - May 21, 2013 - Portland Sea Dogs
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
