EL1 Altoona Curve

Altoona Curve Game Information: April 6, 2014

Published on April 6, 2014 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release


ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Altoona had its Opening Day doubleheader spoiled by the Erie SeaWolves, dropping both games of the twinbill to the Tigers' Double-A affiliate. In game one, Curve starter Adrian Sampson (0-1) was the victim of a tough loss after turning in a quality start in his first ever game at the Double-A level. Sampson spun six innings of five-hit ball, allowed two runs, fanned six and didn't walk a batter but the offense couldn't generate some run support in a, 2-0, loss. Elias Diaz had three of the Curve's six hits and was a perfect 3-for-3 in his first Double-A game. In the nightcap, the Curve fell behind 2-0 before scoring their first runs of the season in the bottom of the fourth in- ning to tie the game. With two down in the last of the fourth, Mel Rojas, Jr. worked a walk before Drew Maggi singled and moved him to third. Andy Vasquez strolled to the dish with runners at the corners and drove in the season's first run with a single and cut the deficit to one. Kelson Brown stood in with Maggi on third and Vasquez on first when the Curve executed the double steal to tie up the game at two. That is as close as the Curve came on Saturday, however, as Erie's Eugenio Suarez hit his second home run of the game, a two-run homer, in the fifth to give Erie the lead for good in an eventual 5-2 win.

CURVE/SEAWOLVES SERIES: The first two games of 22 played between the two clubs went to Erie on Saturday night in Curve, Pa. These two clubs won't meet here again until the second week in July but do play seven more times before that in Erie after this series concludes. The rainout from Thursday night has also been scheduled and will be played on Tuesday, July 8 with a doubleheader beginning at 5:30 p.m.

FOR ALTOONA: Scheduled Opening Day starter Nick Kingham now pitches in the series finale this afternoon versus the Howlers at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Kingham, who had a banner season in 2013 that ended with the Curve, returns to Double-A to start the 2014 season looking to pick up where he left off in 2013. The 22-year-old's last appearance on the mound here at PNG Field was a super one as the righty rattled off seven scoreless versus Akron on August 30 with eight strikeouts and no walks. The Las Vegas raised Kingham enters this season as the fifth-best prospect in the Pirates system according to Baseball America and also as the 64th-best prospect in all of MiLB ac- cording to the same publication. He finished 2013 with 144 strikeouts in his time between Altoona and Bradenton; a total that was second best in the organization. For more on Kingham, see page two.

FOR ERIE: Southpaw Kyle Ryan takes the ball for Erie in the finale on Sunday afternoon and is making his Double-A debut. Ryan, 22, spent all of 2013 with the High-A Lakeland Flying Tigers and made 24 starts en route to a 12-7 record with a 3.17 ERA. The Florida-born Ryan lost just twice after the FSL All-Star Break, going 6-2 and amassing a 3.10 ERA. He enjoyed the best month of his season in July, posting a 1.89 ERA In four starts while limiting op- ponents to a .257 batting average against. Ryan was rewarded for his stellar season with mid-season and post-season All-Star accolades in the Florida State League and was also named the FSL Pitcher of the Week on April 22. He was selected in the 12th round of the 2010 draft out of Auburndale (Fla.) Senior High School by the Tigers.

PROSPECTOR: The 2014 Altoona Curve Opening Day roster contains seven of the Top-30 prospects in the Pirates system according to Baseball America. Nick Kingham (No. 5), Alen Hanson (No. 6), Willy Garcia (No. 14), Stetson Allie (No. 23), Adrian Sampson (No. 27), Gift Ngoepe (No. 29), and Joely Rodriguez (No. 30) make up the seven players on the list. Kingham also is listed as having the system's best changeup and best control, Ngoepe the system's best defensive infielder and Garcia the best outfield arm. Hanson also found himself on some additional prospect lists entering the 2014 season, checking in as the 67th-best prospect entering 2014 according to MLB. com and the 76th-best in the Baseball America Top-100. Kingham joined Hanson on the BA list and is slotted as the 64th-best prospect in MiLB.

THE CUPID SHUFFLE: Three of the four Altoona infielders from the Opening Day lineup spent time with the Curve in 2013. While the same group of players is returning, some will be playing in different positions. Jarek Cunning- ham, who primarily played second base in each of the last two seasons and has logged 429 career games at second base (of 470 played), will move to third base in 2014 (30 previous games played in his MiLB career). Gift Ngoepe, who played at short during his stint with the Curve in 2013, will move to the vacated second base spot. Ngoepe has logged 85 games (of his 364 total games played) at second base and last played there in Bradenton in 2012.

HUNGRY HOWIE: Justin Howard returns to Altoona to begin the 2014 season after putting up an impressive cam- paign with the Curve in 2013. Howard, who didn't play consistently the first few months of the season, ended up being one of the best hitters in all of Double-A over the last few months of the season. The University of New Mexico product batted .333 after June 1 (80-for-240) with seven homers and 26 RBI. The .333 average was the third-best average for any player at the Double-A level over the same time frame with at least 70 games played.

HE MUST WORKOUT: Outfielder Willy Garcia (No. 14 - Baseball America) joins the Curve to start the season, which will be his first in Double-A. Garcia led the entire Pirates minor league system and Florida State League in outfield assists in 2013, throwing out 20 runners. The Curve record for outfield assists in a season is 18, which was set by Starling Marte in 2011.

THE 5 MILLIONTH FAN: The Curve are primed to welcome their five mil- lionth fan in franchise history to the ballpark during today's series finale with Erie. The fan selected as the five millionth fan will receive a prize pack that consists of a trip for two to Pirates Spring Training with the Altoona Curve Booster Club in 2015, Altoona Curve season tickets for life, a honor- ary captainship on the Curve Alumni Team during the Curve, Pa. Heroes Game at the Eastern League All-Star Stop presented by UPMC Health Plan, a personalized Curve jersey and a five millionth fan parking space in the VIP Parking Lot.

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