Altoona Curve Game Information: July 22, 2014 at New Britain
Published on July 22, 2014 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
ABOUT YESTERDAY: A two-run lead thanks to a Dan Gamache homer was not enough on Monday night in New Brit- ain as the Curve dropped the series opener to the Rock Cats, 4-3, at New Britain Stadium. Starter Zack Dodson (2-7) walked a career-high seven batters in his 5.1 innings of work and was charged with all four runs in the loss on Mon- day. The Curve held the lead for half an inning in the second following Gamache's homer, his second in Double-A.
New Britain countered with two runs of their own in bottom of the inning before another run was added in the fourth.
Down 4-2 entering the eighth, the Curve got back-to-back doubles by Willy Garcia and Carlos Paulino to cut the lead to one. New Britain's bullpen held the line, though, as All-Star Cole Johnson pitched the ninth for his seventh save.
CURVE/ROCK CATS SERIES: The Curve make the second of their two trips to the Hardware City this week and are 1-3 against the Rock Cats in 2014 after Monday night's loss. As a team, the Curve have hit just .229 against the Rock Cats this season with Willy Garcia (5-for-15, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI) enjoying the most success against them in 2014.
FOR ALTOONA: On the hill for the Curve in the second game of the three-game series will be RHP Joan Montero, who returns to the rotation to spell Orlando Castro for a start. Montero has spent most of this season as a reliever but has made six starts in the last month with a spot in the rotation up for grabs. The best of those six starts for Montero was July 5 when he held Harrisburg to one run on four hits in six innings. The start immediately following, which was his last, he allowed five runs on five hits in two innings versus Erie on July 10. This will be his second start of the season versus New Britain after starting against them on June 25 here at New Britain Stadium. For more on Montero, see page two.
FOR NEW BRITAIN: Former Pirates farmhand Virgil Vasquez makes his second start of the season versus the Curve tonight and his 16th overall start of 2014. Vasquez, 32, has owned it at home this season, boasting a 2-1 record with a 2.51 ERA in five games started. This month, Vasquez is 1-2 but owns a 3.05 ERA that includes a nine-inning, complete-game shutout that came on the road in New Hampshire just before the break on July 10. In that outing, Vasquez needed 107 pitches to blank the 'Cats and strikeout eight batters. However, the one game where the Curve have beaten the Rock Cats this season came with Vasquez on the hill back on June 23 (6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, HR, 3 BB, 2 K).
DDRRIIAAANN: Altoona Curve RHP Adrian Sampson was named the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week for his near no-hitter Friday night versus Bowie. For Sampson, it's the first weekly Pitcher of the Week award in his career and it'll go alongside his first All-Star nod, which he received a few weeks ago. Entering play today, Sampson ranks among the league leaders in ERA (2.58, 3rd), innings pitched (122.0, 1st), WHIP (1.07, 2nd) and BAA (.230, 2nd).
He's scheduled to make his next start on Wednesday in the series finale with the Rock Cats.
A TURN HERE, WEDGE THERE: Altoona first baseman Stetson Allie has made a slight change in his batting stance over the last two weeks and in the early goings it seems to be paying off. Despite being held hitless last night, Allie has reached base safely in six of his last seven games. If you look at Allie's numbers since June 1, he's been quite good. In 30 combined games, Allie is hitting .280 (30-for-107) with four doubles, four homers, 16 RBI and 15 walks.
TEN FEET TALL: Well, he's 6 feet, 10 inches tall, but regardless, All-Star closer Kenn Kasparek has been a rock at the back end of the Curve bullpen since re-joining the team from Triple-A in early June. In 15 games total this season in Double-A, Kasparek is 1-0 with five saves in five opportunities while boasting a 0.84 ERA. He's whiffed 22 in 21.1 innings while opponents bat just .190 off him.
ONE-HITTER ON 100: Adrian Sampson nearly accomplished the first ever complete-game no-hitter in Altoona franchise history on Friday night against Bowie in Altoona's 100th game of the year. He went 8.1 hitless innings before Mike Yastrzemski broke it up with one out in the ninth with a double to left. The last Curve player to throw a nine-inning complete game shutout was Brad Lincoln on May 21, 2009 against the Baysox. In that outing, Lincoln surrendered just two hits. Of the now 15 nine-inning complete game shutout victories in franchise history, only three players have surrendered two hits or less. Along with Lincoln in 2009, Altoona's MVP of the 2003 season Sean Bur- nett tossed a two-hitter on June 18 against Trenton. Sampson's is the only player in Altoona franchise history to throw a one-hitter.
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS: The bell has rung for Pirates outfield prospect Josh Bell, who joined the Curve Thurs- day night and picked up his first Double-A hit on Friday night. Bell, 21, entered the 2014 season as the seventh-best prospect in the Pirates organization according to Baseball America and has lived up to the billing. In 84 games for High-A Bradenton, Bell was hitting .335 with 20 doubles, four triples, nine home runs and 53 RBI. More impressively, he only struck out 43 times in 84 games with Bradenton. He was named a Florida State League mid-season All-Star (his second overall mid-season All-Star nod of his career) and was selected to participate in the SiriusXM Futures Game this year in Minnesota. At the time of his departure, Bell was among the FSL leaders in average (.335, 2nd), RBI (53, 5th), hits (111, 3rd), slugging percentage (.502, 1st), extra-base hits (33, 4th) and total bases (1st). In his first five games with the Curve, Bell is 2-for-18 with a pair of singles.
IT'S A LONG WAY BACK: Through 21 games this month, the Curve are 10-11 and are batting .277 as a team. However, the staff ERA is 4.83, the highest in the league. With the win on Saturday, the team has won ten games this month, which is tied for the highest total of any month this sea- son. The last time Altoona had a month where they finished above .500 was last July where the 2013 Curve finished 15-11.
Eastern League Stories from July 22, 2014
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- Squirrels Roast Ducks, Claim Series, 8-2 - Richmond Flying Squirrels
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- Strong Start, Clutch Hits Key 3-0 Win over Trenton - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Late Comeback Provides Series Victory for Senators - Harrisburg Senators
- Aaron Sanchez Promoted to Major Leagues - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Harrisburg Senators Homestand Highlights - July 24 - July 27 - Harrisburg Senators
- Altoona Curve Game Information: July 22, 2014 at New Britain - Altoona Curve
- B-Mets Game Notes: Game #102 - B-Mets (60-41) at Portland Sea Dogs (65-37) - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- Sea Dogs Game Notes July 22 vs. Binghamton (Game 103) - Portland Sea Dogs
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