Altoona Curve Game Information: June 12, 2013
Published on June 12, 2013 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
ABOUT SUNDAY NIGHT...: Altoona built an early, 2-0, lead on Sunday night over the Binghamton Mets but wasn't able to hold it in an eventual, 5-2, loss to the B-Mets in the series finale. Justin Howard drove in both runs in the loss for the Curve, homering in the second and singling in a run in the fourth. Ethan Hollingsworth was superb in a spot starting role, retiring the first nine batters he faced en route to five innings of one-run ball. Binghamton tied the game off Kenn Kasparek in the seventh and then took the lead for good in the top of the ninth with a three-run homer by Travis Taijeron off Jason Townsend (1-3). Mel Rojas, Jr., Alex Dickerson and Howard all had two-hit games in the loss.
CURVE/ROCK CATS SERIES: This three-game set will be the first of six total games that these two teams play against one another in 2013. New Britain will visit Curve, Pa. at the end of the month (June 24-26). FOR ALTOONA: On the mound for the Curve in game one will be RHP Stolmy Pimentel, who rounded back into early-season form in his last start. Pimentel began the season with a 0.30 ERA through the first month of the season before enduring a tough five-start stretch from May 9-30. Prior to his start on May 9, Pimentel had allowed a total of three runs but from May 9-30 he surrendered a total of 29 runs. Last time out, Pimentel notched his first quality start since May 4 and grabbed his first win since April 29 with six innings of three-run (two-earned run) ball versus Reading at Peoples Natural Gas Field. He struck out seven and walked just one while scattering six hits. For more on Pimentel, see page two.
Following Pimentel will be former Rock Cats and Twins farmhand David Bromberg, who spent his entire career in the minors in the Twins organization up until this season. Bromberg had stints with the Rock Cats in 2010, 2011 and again in 2012 both as a starter and a reliever. This season, Bromberg has again been inadvertently used in that flex role with all of the ML rehab assignments the Curve have hosted over the first two months of the season. Last time out, Bromberg turned in his second quality start of the season with three runs allowed in six innings in a loss to Binghamton on Friday night. It was just the third time this season that Bromberg has made back-to-back starts. For more on Bromberg, see page three.
FOR NEW BRITAIN: LHP Pat Dean gets the starting nod for the Rock Cats in the first game on Wednesday in New Britain and is working in his first full season in Double-A. Dean got a taste of Double-A in 2011, making his final start of the season on September 2, 2011 at home versus the Trenton Thunder (6.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R). Instead of spend- ing 2012 in the Hardware City, Dean spent all of 2012 with High-A Fort Myers, where he went 10-8 with a 3.99 ERA in 28 starts and was named to the FSL mid-season All-Star team. The Connecticut native got the bump up to New Britain for this season and comes in to this start having allowed a total of five runs across his last three outings. In his last 19 innings, Dean has allowed five runs (three earned) on 18 hits while striking out seven. The southpaw was selected in the third round of the 2010 draft out of Boston College.
Striding to the hill in the second game for the 'Cats will be RHP Trevor May, who came to the Twins as part of a trade in the offseason that sent Ben Revere from Minnesota to Philadelphia. Last season in the Eastern League with Read- ing, May went 10-13 with a 4.87 ERA in 28 starts and at times struggled with command. The Washington native is- sued 78 walks in 149.2 innings to his 151 strikeouts. This season, May has allowed 34 free passes in 64.1 innings with 59 strikeouts to his name through 12 starts. He's tossed two seven-inning, complete-game shutouts (within a few weeks of one another) and has an opponents batting average of .269. Last time out, May allowed one run on five hits in six innings to Richmond for his fifth win of the season.
COLE, CALM AND COLLECTED: Gerrit Cole became the 104th player to play in Curve, Pa. before making his Major League debut when he threw his first pitch strike to Gregor Blanco on Tuesday night. The UCLA product grabbed a win in his first pro start, dealing 6.1 innings of two-run ball while striking out two and not walking a batter.
CASE IN POINT: RHP Casey Sadler turned in his seventh quality start of the season in the loss to Binghamton on Saturday at Peoples Natural Gas Field, Sadler, 22, leads the team in that category, and also checks in among the league leaders in ERA (3.20, 10th) and innings pitched (81.2, first). All four of Sadler's losses this season have come at home were he is 1-4 with a 4.14 ERA in six starts. On the road, which is when he'll make his next sched- uled start, Sadler is 5-0 with a 2.42 ERA (seven games).
TRIP WIRE: Mel Rojas, Jr. tripled on Sunday night in the loss to Binghamton for the club's 23rd triple of the season, which is second-most in the league behind Portland's 27. Rojas, Jr. now has five triples on the season to lead the team (Carlos Paulino and the departed Andrew Lambo each have four). His five triples are tied for second-most in the circuit entering play today. Of the team's 23 total triples, 16 of them have been hit at home.
MEL'S DRIVE IN: Outfielder Mel Rojas, Jr. was 2-for-4 with a triple in the loss to Binghamton on Sunday night. Rojas, Jr. has his average up to .269, which is up from when he ended April at .226 after 24 games. Since May 14, the younger Rojas has hit .333 (31-for-93) with five doubles, five triples, one home run and 12 RBI in 24 games. More specifically, he's hit in a season-best eight straight games entering play today and in 17-of-19 since May 19.
MIND THE GAP: Altoona turned to Charlie Cutler to bat in the vacant four-hole left by the promotion of Andrew Lambo to Triple-A on Saturday. Cutler was 0-for-3 in the game before ripping a triple inside the bag at first and down into the right-field corner to bring home two runs to break up the B-Mets shutout. Cutler now has 17 RBI in 31 games played and is batting .337. He's hit in four-straight contests entering play today and .412 in the four games he's played in June. This is on the heels of a .347 (17-for-49) clip in 18 games during the month of May.
Eastern League Stories from June 12, 2013
- SeaWolves Sweep Twin Bill - Erie SeaWolves
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- Fisher Cats Come Alive Late, Stun Aeros in Ninth - Akron RubberDucks
- Lannan Grounds Baysox Hitters in Fightins Loss - Reading Fightin Phils
- B-Mets Go Wire-To-Wire in 6-1 Victory - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- Fisher Cats Stun Aeros 9-8 - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- SeaWolves Win in Extras - Erie SeaWolves
- Senators Quiet Squirrels in Game Two, 2-1 - Richmond Flying Squirrels
- Baysox Shutout Reading - Chesapeake Baysox
- Bat For the Cure with the Portland Sea Dogs - Portland Sea Dogs
- B-Mets vs. Thunder - Game Notes - June 12, 2013 - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- SeaWolves vs. Sea Dogs - Game Notes - June 12, 2013 - Erie SeaWolves
- Altoona Curve Game Information: June 12, 2013 - Altoona Curve
- Sea Dogs vs. SeaWolves - Game Notes - June 12, 2013 - Portland Sea Dogs
- Squirrels Team Up With Habitat for Humanity - Richmond Flying Squirrels
- Sea Dogs Introduce Foodie Friday's at Hadlock - Portland Sea Dogs
- John Lannan to Start for Fightin Phils Wednesday - Reading Fightin Phils
- Aeros Overcome Rain, Fisher Cats - Akron RubberDucks
- Fisher Cats Fall to Akron 7-0 - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
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